


Berry Red

by olimakiella



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Community: hds_beltane, Fest!Fic, George Died, HP: EWE, HP: Post-Hogwarts AU, M/M, Mystery, Original Character(s), PotionsGenius!Draco, UST, auror!fic, not Fred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-28
Updated: 2012-09-28
Packaged: 2017-11-15 05:30:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/523681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olimakiella/pseuds/olimakiella
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An explosion in the Forensic Potions Department of the Ministry of Magic has people wondering who has it in for the Ministry. After Auror Harry Potter does some digging, however, he realises the Ministry is not the target.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Berry Red

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TWISTEDM!](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=TWISTEDM%21).



> Disclaimer: This piece of fiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by J. K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made, no copyright or trademark infringement, or offense is intended. Part of the fic that starts with "It's okay to hate me." and ends around "I hate you." Is coined from Charmed.
> 
> Written for the HDS Beltane fest of 2009. Prompt: Auror!fic, H/D, UST is always appreciated, Harry and Draco in character, witty is always good, AU is fine, EWE please!
> 
> Author's Note: I think I got them all. Erm, George died instead of Fred, Moody is still alive but only mentioned in passing. I used the HDS-Beltane prompt of Moon. Draco is an Auror (kind of) and a Potions genius. Thanks to fauxpersonae007 for the beta, mucho love.
> 
> Mod’s note: The original recipient bowed out, and with permission to reassign, I decided to take this very last fic as a gift to myself. I think you’ll all enjoy it as much as I did.

The smoke in the room was blinding. The explosion had been heard from even the highest floors above the ground. People in the street in Muggle London, even, had stopped and looked around, terrified at what could be happening. Obliviators had been sent out immediately, though, and the panic outside had died down somewhat.

Inside the Ministry building however, the panic had just set in.

 

Through the endless corridors and stairwells leading to the lowest floors, the smoke was the thickest. The explosion had taken out most of the Potions floor, added sometime after the war when potions were in dire need. The Laboratories spanned over half of the entire area dedicated to it and was currently being vacated post-haste. Various Potions experts were being led out of the room. Some were walking, others were being carried. Some were even missing limbs depending on the potion they were working on at the time of the explosion. Harry almost didn't see Draco Malfoy as he walked carefully into the room. Fred Weasley, who had found Malfoy, had been forced to 'help' him walk considering Draco refused to be  _carried_ anywhere, despite his lack of coherence. Fred was sporting a red nose and sniffling occasionally.

"I am so embarrassed," Draco said later as he was being checked out in St. Mungo's. His robe was dirtied and streaked in grey ooze that had splattered over him the second the protective shield Fred had erected had fallen. A small orb hovered next to him just out of his reach. It glowed green and pulsated to match his heartbeat. A wisp-like string of white – the spell that connected the orb to him – ran from his left hand straight up to it. Draco stared at the orb, almost calmed by the regular pulsations.

Fred shook his head and sat on the cot opposite him coughing heavily. The wing was full of Aurors after the rumble had shaken the place. Every Potions Master, whether they had been present in the room or not, had been ordered there. Most didn't want to go considering their jobs; they had precious potions in the making after all. Even Draco did not want to go despite being the person to cause all the trouble in the first place.

"It can happen to anybody," Fred said grinning at the fact that he and his late brother had caused a lot of explosions in their time. He breathed deeply after the lung clearing spell the nurse had given him.

Draco watched him carefully, making sure the nurse knew what he was doing. One could never be sure about these things, or nurses. He then narrowed his eyes at the redhead. "Not to me, Frederick. This is a newbie mistake -"

"Newbie?" Harry said as he walked into the room. Draco looked up angrily and raised his arms in anger before letting them drop heavily to the cot he was sitting on. The small orb that hovered next to him raised and lowered at the same pace, tugged along by the spell that connected them.

"Oh for Mordred's sake, it was a tiny explosion, hardly noticeable! Why the hell would they send  _Wonder Auror_  down here?" He looked at Fred, who was the only other person in the room who could give him some answers.

Harry answered anyway. "The explosion was hardly tiny, Malfoy," Harry grinned. "It took out half the labs on the floor."

"The labs only occupy half the floor, so only a quarter was taken," Draco practically growled. "You weren't there, Potter, how the hell would you know what it was like!" he yelled, causing the heart tracking spell in the orb that hovered next to him to turn from green to red and vibrate violently.

"Draco, calm down, mate." Harry looked over to Fred, who he knew would defend Draco even if he knew the guy was wrong. Their friendship was a shock to most, especially Fred's family. Ron had taken it hard but after hearing the reason... even Molly had welcomed Draco once she'd heard how Draco had actually tried to help George Weasley by dragging him away from the battlefield. When Fred had found him, Draco had raised his wand to him, thinking him a threat until he'd seen his face.

_._

_Fred advanced on him angrily. His wand was drawn and pointed at Draco, who was bent over his brother's limp body, his hand pressed to George's neck. Draco's head snapped up and Fred disregarded the tears he could see in the blond's eyes. All he saw was the man who had caused this massacre. "What the hell are you doing? Get away from him!" He brandished his wand threateningly._

_Draco, though he backed away a little, did not let go of George Weasley's neck. "No, I – I can't stop the bleeding – don't move my hand," he said frantically as Fred began prying his hand away._

_Fred, momentarily confused at the adamant refusal, looked down to his brother. "Wh – George? George – mate, can you hear me?" he said and lightly touched his forehead. His twin had nodded weakly, turning his head a little to smile at him._

_Draco, feeling awkward, searched for something to say. "Greyback was going to him. I really hate him," he added more to himself. "I threw the hardest stun I could to get him away. All I did was slow him down, though, and he – your brother – he still wouldn't move out the way." Draco shook his head as if he couldn't understand it. "I found a–a rock, levitated it and used it to knock him off. When he fell, I threw the rock at him. I think he's dead." He looked over to the boulder that sat on top of Greyback to their right._

_Fred searched around George. "So, he didn't get bitten?"_

_Draco shook his head. "No – someone saw. They shot a curse at me and – he," he said gesturing to George, "He tackled me out of the way. But it hit him instead. I've tried everything but I can't stop the bleeding." He pressed his hand harder to George's neck._

.

Draco had stayed with them both until George had died and then stayed with Fred when he'd cried over his body. Fred had never forgotten it.

Draco hadn't either and the two of them had become good friends after the war. Fred was also the only member of the Weasley family Draco conversed with often. "Frederick, I do not make these mistakes." He also absolutely refused to call him anything as common as  _Fred_. The man in question had long since forgone trying to dissuade him of it. "If Snape were here, he'd kill me." Fred coughed a little once more. "And look at you! I could have killed you!"

Fred rolled his eyes. "Hardly." He knew exactly how guilty Draco felt about his brother. "I feel like I have a cold actually."

Draco slumped down. "Well, that makes sense. I was brewing a potion to reduce the symptoms of a cold when you came in with that sample." He screwed his eyes shut and gripped the bridge of his nose with his free hand as if he were in pain. "I should have checked the damn thing first.  _'Never have unknown potions in your Laboratory, Draco'_ Severus practically hexed that into my head when I was a boy. What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Hey, Malfoy, calm down," Harry said repeating Fred's words. "I just need you to answer a few questions for me."

Draco gave him the most put upon look known to mankind. "Yes, no,  _no_ , twice, yes, no I wouldn't do that and how else can I describe an explosion except for 'It went  _bang_?'" Draco watched him with a cocked eyebrow, obviously hating the fact he was still there. "I went through the same training as you, Potter, I know you want answers. Those are your top seven. Do you have anything harder?" He cocked his head to the side and studiously ignored Fred snickering on the bed opposite him.

Harry, nevertheless, took them all down. His eyes scrutinised the blond for a second as he wrote those answers in, in the exact same order he'd arranged the questions. "Do you think you could help us break down the remnants of the unknown potion?"

Draco sat back in thought, impressed with a question he had not expected Potter to come out with. "I'm not sure. After the explosion, there's no telling what it could be now. I may have to see if I can break down the two from whatever they both made." He frowned thoughtfully. "It was an odd colour too."

"If they weren't in contact, how did they react?" Harry asked.

Fred took over here, seeing as Draco had narrowed his eyes into his 'look', the one he saved for people who angered him and those he thought were truly stupid. "Harry, mate, potions aren't only used for drinking and throwing on things, some of them produce fumes or scents that do the 'affecting' yeah?" Fred paused, obviously searching for words that could explain it with the least amount of confusion. "Um, in this case, the unknown potion I brought must have had a bad reaction to the fumes of that cold and flu potion Draco was brewing-"

"That's not the name of it," Draco said losing his look.

Fred, once again, rolled his eyes. "Does it matter?"

"Yes, Frederick, it does matter." He gestured to Harry's quill and pad irritably. "Now he's got 'Cold and Flu Potion' down he's going to put in his report I'm brewing a potion to cause a cold. No one will want to take it!"

"Cold and Flu  _Reducant_ , is that better?"

Draco squirmed in his seat. "Maybe. Though, that's not a word."

Harry looked between the two of them and wished he'd been assigned somewhere else. "Right, so this Cold and Flu  _Reducant_ ," he said inserting the word above the line he'd written, "- its fumes mixed with the potion Fred brought you and everything exploded?"

Draco shook his head, though he seemed confused by something. "No, the air around it exploded. Rather violently, actually. There's a difference. That's why there was smoke."

Harry narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Okay, so the  _air_  exploded, whatever that means. Why aren't you both dead?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Well, sorry to disappoint, Potter." When he received no answer he continued. "Usually when there is a fusion of two separate states-"

"When air and liquid mix," Fred interrupted. Draco frowned at him until he saw Fred gesture to Harry's face, only now clearing from its confusion. "Simple is the best course here."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Right. When dealing with potions, and  _air and liquid mix_ ," he stressed, "there's a...smell that the explosion gives off before it actually explodes," Draco explained. "Something weird and out of place," he added gesturing absently. Harry watched those hands trying to convey the meaning of his words to him and could easily say that he still didn't understand. But he followed those elegant hands, stained with ooze as they were, anyway, making the orb weave and bob around. "Unless you know to react to it when you smell it, you can't set a protection spell on time."

Harry looked up at him. He swallowed. "What does it smell like?"

Draco thought a second. "Something fruity usually." He cocked his head to the side. "Of course when everything explodes it turns to its usual nasty self, pungent and disgusting." He shuddered and looked down at the goop that streaked his clothes and hands. "More often than not the fruitier the smell is the worse off the victim. Before this one it was like a mixed berry type-"

Fred crossed his arms. "Really? It smelled more like pears to me."

Draco raised his top lip into something resembling a sneer, but not quite close. "Pears? Were you  _in_  the same room?"

Fred cocked an eyebrow at him. "I should think so considering I'm the one that put up the protection spell and signalled the alarm."

Draco rolled his eyes and shook his head in mourning. "Oh I am  _never_  going to live this down." His hands went to his hair to brush it back as it had fallen into his face when he'd lowered it. But when they came away with the same grey mass he opened his mouth in horror. The scream, Harry could see, was building. Even Fred looked worried, which said something.

Harry decided that was his cue to leave. "Well, I think I have enough here. If I have anything-"

"Extra you'll owl me, I know Potter." Draco was still glaring at his hand. He looked up at him. "Now scoot, I want to get out of here and they won't let me go until you leave." Harry shook his head closing his notebook. He nodded to Fred and left the room.

After two years of training, one would think that Harry would have gotten used to Draco Malfoy's presence in the Ministry. After another four years of working together, everyone would think he would be used to seeing the blond walk past his cubicle everyday on his way to the training rooms, smelling of potions and that spicy aftershave he just  _had_  to use every morning.

He hadn't.

Truth be told, he was constantly surprised by him all the time, from the war onwards. No one had expected him to help George, switch sides in the war, or give incriminating evidence to known, wanted and captured Death Eaters. No one had expected him to help Fred with his depression or become a frequent guest at the Burrow. No one thought he'd sign up for Auror training and survive it, especially not Harry. He knew what the man had had to go through to gain a semblance of respect there. But Draco had survived it and then surprised everyone further by coming out top of the class. He then accepted a trainer's job at the Ministry, training other Aurors. Two months into his training job he was asked to take on the task of Potion's Researcher, examining forensic evidence and such. Naturally, Draco had jumped at the chance and the Ministry took on two extra trainers to take some of his classes. Draco Malfoy had made a name for himself in the Ministry, and the Wizarding World, free of stigma.

He was good at his jobs too. The trainees loved him and Draco had gone from earning their respect, to them earning his. His graduates rivalled Aurors of the War's statures, besting them in combat and field work. Even paperwork was done efficiently. Hermione sang Draco Malfoy's praises after she discovered this, as it was her job to make sure those things ran smoothly in her Research and Development Department. ' _Can't research if things aren't documented after all_ ,' she'd said. His Potions job ran smoothly and he took shifts with it when the potions were not difficult to brew or needed little supervision, but they were always perfect and hardly anyone sniffed them before they took them anymore.

Harry's eyes strayed downwards as Draco passed him. He cocked his head to the side in contemplation. No one expected the blond to have such a nice arse either. Harry wasn't sure when his grudging respect had evolved into this… lusting behaviour he had been experiencing lately, but Harry continued to lean back in his chair, two days later, like he did every day to peak out of his cubicle when Draco passed him by at nine a.m. He was probably on his way to the one of his classes with the second years. The chair squeaked a little and then all Harry heard was a cracking sound before the chair fell to the ground. Ron, who was seated opposite him, looked across to Draco, back again and then cracked up in laughter. Harry's face, red as it was, looked at him angrily. When he turned to the right, he noticed Draco was watching him with a cocked eyebrow, coffee in hand. The blond shook his head, most likely at Harry's stupidity and walked off snickering.

"You alright, mate?" Ron said trying hard not to laugh anymore.

"Fucking chairs." Harry righted it and sent a  _Reparo_  to it before he sat in it again. He ignored the snickering of people passing and picked up a quill and an old report he was supposed to have written up for Hermione last week and busied himself with work. That was the second time he'd fallen over staring at bloody Draco Malfoy.

By lunchtime the Department had gotten over it and so had Harry. Naturally, Fred chose that time to bother him about it. If anything, Harry was glad for Malfoy when it came to Fred. No one thought he'd ever get over George's death but he had and everyone, especially Molly, was happy for him and whatever Draco did. Harry never asked, no one did, and neither Fred nor Draco ever told anyone about it.

"Be careful of the chair, Harry. I hear it's out to get you." Fred leaned against his desk eating a rather large sandwich. Harry was sure he was using magic just to keep it together.

Once he'd swallowed, Harry let his quill drop and sat back. "Where's your partner in crime?"

Fred no longer cringed at that line. "Potions Laboratory. Well, the parts that are still usable until the repairs are done. He's determined to find out what was in that potion." He took another bite and sat properly on Harry's desk to chew.

"Any luck so far?" Harry took the report he'd just finished and put it in the folder Hermione had created for the Aurors so that anything placed in it was sent instantly to her desk. He watched it disappear and then shoved the folder aside.

Fred shook his head once he'd swallowed. "Nah, he was just able to remove the ingredients on his part. Right now he's trying to figure out what potion it was I brought in."

Harry frowned thoughtfully. "Does he think that it's sabotage?" the idea did not sit well with him. He didn't like that people could still get to members of the Ministry staff so easily, especially Draco, who had many enemies since the war.

Fred shrugged. "Dunno. If he does he won't say anything unless he has proof though."

Harry nodded in thought. He understood. Draco had made a name for himself but there were still those who wouldn't believe him as much as they would others if he came out with that accusation. He looked up at Fred and waited for his mouth to empty before he asked, "Do you think he was?"

Fred paused in his eating to stare at the ground in thought. "Honestly? I'm not sure." He dug out something from his tooth with his tongue. "Everyone makes mistakes, right?" Harry nodded but then frowned when Fred shook his head. "Thing is, Draco doesn't. He actually goes out of his way to make sure he does everything right."

Harry tried to make sense of that one. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Fred rolled his eyes. "I mean – have you ever seen him when he works?" Harry nodded. He'd walked in on the blond working before. Fred stopped him. "No, I mean seriously seen him while he works." At Harry's frown he explained. "Everything is planned ahead. His lessons are planned two months in advance so he's prepared for everything. He learns his trainees' names and backgrounds before time so he knows: who they are, what they need to achieve and how they'd likely react to him and what he has in store for them," he said counting off on his fingers. He put the hand back on his sandwich. He shook his head. "The man is a machine, it's a wonder he has any time for himself."

Harry nodded, he understood that being distracted and trying to please everyone would result in little time to oneself. "Hey, do you know where I could get the schedules for the labs?"

Fred laughed. "Sure, but it wouldn't do you any good, Draco's not on them. He goes in only when he needs to. If you're looking for an easy pattern someone could follow, you won't find one there. I don't even know where he'll be on days."

Harry brooded for a second and then his forehead smoothened. "You going to his office after lunch?" he asked.

Fred's eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah, why?" he said, mouth partly full.

"Malfoy seemed very upset by my lack of knowledge in Potions." He shrugged. "I was assigned to the case so I guess I need to brush up a little. Could you get me a book on it? I'm guessing any book with the properties of the potion he was mixing would be in his Laboratory." He grinned.

Fred chuckled. "Yeah, sure, I'll get it to you by the end of the day, okay?" Fred said getting up.

Harry nodded. "Sure." He looked over at Kingsley's office to see the man walking in for his lunch break. He took his chance and went in to see him.

Draco watched the test in front him praying to Merlin it didn't turn red. It would be a few minutes yet so he set out his ingredients on the newly purchased laboratory table fresh from the manufacturer. His Laboratory had taken the brunt of the damages but the walls had withstood the explosion, having been reset and strengthened just a few weeks ago by the Aurors themselves. His Laboratory, being the first door on the right, had been the first to be refurbished and it felt odd working on a brand new table that had no blemishes or evidence of the hard work or masterpieces that had been created on them. Nevertheless, he chopped and sliced, preparing them for the research potion Hermione had sent him. When he heard the door open, he knew instantly who it was. "I'm doing something, Frederick." Fred snorted and went to browse through his books on the shelf along the far wall. It was as Draco sliced up the ginger roots that he caught sight of something crimson on the glass he'd performed the test on.

"Shit." He dropped the knife and sat down heavily on the stool.

"What?" he heard and recognised the familiar footsteps to his station.

Draco sighed heavily and dropped his head against his folded arms on the table. "Asphodel."

Fred recognised frustration when he saw it. Asphodel was extremely dangerous, and bordering on illegal. Judging from the colour on the test glass from the diagnostic test he could see how much the perpetrator used. "Why on earth…?" he said and sat on the other stool on the other side.

Draco harrumphed, he almost wished he knew. "I'm actually surprised the whole building didn't explode now." He looked up at Fred, who could see his eyes looked glassy. "Look at this. Do you see this amount of Asphodel in the potion? There was too much, that's why it's off colour and I couldn't identify it completely. It looked like this," he said pointing to a page in the Potions book next to him. "But they added too much. I should have tested it before I even said hello to you. This accident, if it was one," he said gesturing to the glass, "either the person is crap at Potions… or they're hell bent on homicide."

Other than frustration, Fred also recognised guilt.

 

Harry packed up the things he was going to take home with him at his cubicle and shoved them into a rucksack he'd transfigured from the penholder on his desk. Hefting it onto his shoulder, he walked toward the elevator and pressed the button as he watched the Constructors that had been contracted to rebuild the Potions Laboratories on the sixteenth floor pass by. The elevator did not work from the Harry's floor onward so the Constructors, like everyone else, had to get off on the twelfth and walk the rest of the way like everyone else until they themselves fixed it. Harry shook his head. The Minister told his staff that he had the Constructors' assurance it would be fixed over the weekend, as hidden floors et cetera would have to be factored in.

As Harry stepped into the elevator to go downstairs, Fred caught up to him. "Hey, you're leaving without the book."

Harry couldn't believe he forgot. "Oh Merlin, thanks, Fred." He took the rather large book and settled back against the wall of the elevator yawning. He'd spent his last hour talking to Kingsley. Trying to convince that man of anything was infuriating. "Off home then?" he asked him amicably.

Fred nodded, looking worried. "Yeah."

He turned to Fred in the lift. "What's wrong? Has something happened?"

Fred sighed. "Kind of. Draco found out the main property in the potion I brought in was Asphodel, and whoever it was used too much of it, that's why the potion was off colour and he couldn't figure it out."

Harry's eyebrows rose. Despite his lack of Potions knowledge, he knew what was dangerous. It was his job to. "Wow." I knew the Ministry had enemies but… to blow it up from the foundations like that? "Merlin, he must be killing himself right now." He frowned in thought.

Fred laughed. "Don't even get me started. He's convinced now he's going to lose his job or something. It took me most of this afternoon to get him to ease up on himself a little and not march to Kingsley with his resignation. Merlin only knows what he'll do when he gets home." The lifts opened at the Atrium and Fred stepped out. "You off for the weekend?" Harry nodded. "I'll see you Monday, yeah?" he called and walked toward a flue.

Harry waved under the weight of the book in his hands "Yeah, Monday…" he mumbled in response. "Wait!" he called.

Fred turned. "Yeah?"

"What colour was it?"

Fred smiled tiredly. "Berry red."

 

Harry never thought that he would spend the first weekend he'd gotten off in three months studying Potions. But the thought of Draco being so hard on himself for the first mistake he'd made in years had him aching to find a way to help him. The schedules and log books for the Potions Laboratories might as well have been left behind and the files on various people who could have had it in for the Ministry were no help either. Harry couldn't help the feeling that he was missing something.

He even pored over the thick tome Fred had given him, looking up first 'Asphodel' under 'A'. He smiled as he saw all the potion stains and the worn marks from dog-ears on most of the pages. He frowned when he passed a page that opened heavily and recognised the spell. It was one Hermione used often in school when she did research. When she'd needed to find something quickly, she'd made one page open as if it had a lot of weight on it so that when she flicked through the book it would open there almost immediately. It saved dog-earring pages and damaging books as well as all the extra weight bookmarks would cause. This was most helpful as the size of the books Hermione used to carry were heavy already.

Harry skimmed through the page, frowning when he saw the heading was for a headache potion. Making a mental note to think about it later, he continued flipping through until he found the right page.

"Asphodel." He saw ink drawings and definitions and made himself read through them. "Added at the right time will always give the potion a rosy hue. Strictly unwise is to add more than needed, the colour red is not linked to danger for nothing." Harry rolled his eyes. Potions and humour should never be mixed.

Still, it wasn't anything he hadn't read already over and over again since Friday night. Only this time he noticed a small line at the bottom of the page he had mistaken as a decorative page divider above the page numbers. He bypassed the parts that spoke about the reactions Asphodel had with other ingredients and potions and read:

  _ **Fume reactions see page 715.**_  


Harry's mind went back to the hospital room. 'the unknown potion I brought must have had a bad reaction to the fumes of the cold and flu potion Draco was brewing', Fred had said. Harry turned the pages, quickly reading through the uninteresting bits when something made him freeze.

  ** _Healing fumes_**  


"Oh, my God."

 

Monday morning couldn't come quickly enough and instead of waiting for Malfoy to pass him at his cubicle with his morning cup of coffee, he went to the coffee machine in the staff room kitchen to track him down. "I need to speak with you," he said finding the caffeine addict pouring the dark liquid into a cup that was quite larger than usual. His hair, tied back as usual, complimented the rest of his tired demeanour looking like it had seen better days with a Muggle hair band rather than the usual black ribbon, like so many other long-haired pureblooded males. It didn't look as bright as it normally did. It was almost ashen and camouflaged in the light grey robes he was wearing. Harry was surprised. He'd thought black robes were some kind of uniform for Potions Masters.

Draco looked at him. His own weekend had consisted of Fred convincing him to come back to work and that no one was going to persecute him for something that wasn't even his fault. Needless to say, Fred's persistence and Draco's lack of belief made him irritable. "You are speaking to me, Potter."

Harry sighed. "In private. I found something in your case."

Draco froze and looked up at him slowly. "What case?" Draco said becoming both curious and wary.

Harry paused a second. Was that a trick question? "The explosion. I was assigned to it." He held up the file.

Draco seemed frozen still. "Since when was that a case?" he asked carefully.

Harry frowned. "Since… a part of the Ministry exploded?" Harry answered equally as careful, still not sure if Draco was being sarcastic. Harry glanced at Draco's coffee cup. Perhaps he should have waited for him after all. The Draco he conversed with normally would have been on his second cup by now. When Draco closed his eyes for a while, Harry became worried. Stress lines had begun to develop around his eyes and Harry couldn't help but think the man needed some much deserved time off.

Draco breathed through his nose carefully. "How long do I have?"

Harry frowned. "Um, for what?"

Draco scoffed. "Until I'm on suspension. I know the procedure, Potter. If I'm under investigation then I have to leave my post. How long will I be on suspension?"

There was relief underlining Harry's smile. Now he understood. "When I said, your case, I didn't mean you were being investigated. Far from it, the person who is trying to kill you is."

Draco's eyes widened. "What?"

Harry shrugged. He should have phrased that better. "I er... I gave Kingsley my report this morning. I went through the notes I made in your interview, discussions I had with Fred and with the medical staff at St. Mungo's and borrowed a book on Potions so I'm fairly certain that that's the case. We thought someone had it in for the Ministry but, it turns out, someone's trying to kill you." He paused. "I've been told this is a matter of high security. I'm to report to Kingsley after briefing you."

Draco looked around. He seemed rendered mute. Thankfully no one had heard them. When Harry saw him doing this he grinned some more. "I did tell you I needed to speak to you privately." He gestured to the entrance of the kitchen. "I'll get Fred. We need to talk in your office." Draco nodded and began walking there.

 

The three of them sat down and Harry brought a copy of the report he'd written. He watched as Fred read through the pages quickly and then with more care. Harry knew when he'd gotten to the information on the potion he'd documented because he shook his head as if he couldn't believe what he was reading.

"Shit," Fred said and dropped the report down on Draco's desk. Draco looked over at him. Fred had his arms around himself. "Are you sure?" He was talking to Harry.

Harry nodded. "I read through the Potions book you lent me, Fred, and I found out that the bases of many healing potions are one of three: Lemon Grass, Chamomile and Oleander."

"Isn't that a poisonous plant?" Fred said.

Draco answered him. "Yes but it's a healing plant too." His gaze turned irritable when he directed it at Harry. Harry wished he wouldn't. "Potter, get to the point."

Harry took a seat next to Fred at Draco's desk. "Right. That day you were in the Potions Laboratory, it was your first day for the week, right?"

Draco nodded. "Yeah. I wasn't even supposed to be there that week because my trainees have exams and I don't take time off for the Laboratory when they do." That irritable look returned. "Everyone knows that, Potter, get with the times."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Look, this potion you were brewing, any one of those three can react to Asphodel but two of them only react when mixed directly as liquid to solid or liquid to liquid." He saw recognition to the information registering on Draco's face. "Only someone who knows about Potions and knew you were mixing a potion that had to give off fumes would know that you needed lemon grass as your base to give off the fumes." Draco was still watching him as if he were waiting for the point. They'd already figured someone still had it in for him. "Don't you see? Seeing as no one could know when you'd be going into your Laboratory, they must have known the potion would be there. It's the only constant in the equation. You must have told someone."

Draco looked affronted and sat forward. "I did not!" Then he relaxed somewhat as if remembering. "Oh. But someone did break into my office." He sat back against his chair and clasped his hands together over his stomach, entwining his fingers.

Harry sat up at that. "When?"

Draco looked up thinking. "About... two weeks ago, the wards were broken when I came in. I sent my report to your office." He cocked an eyebrow at the brunet. "To you I believe. You told me if nothing was stolen there really wasn't any point to looking into the matter."

Harry, angered, stood up. "You're blaming this on me?"

Draco cocked his head to the side and swung his chair slightly from side to side. "Now why would I do that?" It was rhetorical but he answered himself anyway. "Because two weeks after that, your negligence made me, and several others, come close to death? Of course not," he said as if it were preposterous to even think it.

Harry couldn't take it, especially since the blond was speaking the truth. Two weeks ago was Ron and Hermione's anniversary and, since the report had been sent to his desk around the time he'd snuck out of the celebrations to get away from 'all the love' for some quiet, he didn't trust himself to spend more time around Draco than he absolutely had to. He'd been drinking and the blond was a distraction all his own. Harry knew he would never be able to accomplish anything. In his semi-drunken state, he'd figured if there wasn't anything stolen, there wasn't much point to doing anything about it besides advising all Potions Masters to strengthen the wards on their offices and labs. He regretted it the day after when Draco had sent a cutting glare his way and Fred had explained everything the brunet had managed to forget.

Harry stormed out of the office and slammed the door shut. The nerve of the man. He'd explained what had happened, and apologised excessively - going as far as to offer his services on the wards (which now crackled, sparked and shocked anyone unauthorised to enter). Judging from recent events, his apologies were worth nothing. He made his way up to his level and sat down at his cubicle. He was only aware of Fred's presence when the redhead sat on his desk.

"You know he's just scared, right?"

Harry, despite himself, nodded. Both of them jumped when Kingsley called them both into his office. Sighing, he received a nod from Fred before they both got up.

 

"Potter, stay." Harry stopped and let Fred walk out of the office watching him curiously as he did. The redhead had yet to react to the news and it bothered him. Now that he'd actually volunteered for an assignment out of the country, Harry was sure Fred felt guilty. He came back to Kingsley's desk and sat down.

"Sir?" In response, a key was dropped on the desk in front of him. He picked up the old looking thing. It had the number seventeen etched into the flat surface that he held. He frowned.

"The lifts have been fixed, the Contractors stopped taking their sweet time and finally fixed them yesterday. Go home pack your things and come back, your assignment starts tonight."

Harry cocked an eyebrow and looked up at Kingsley with a smile. "They actually managed to fix something?" he asked, kind of surprised.

"Yes, apparently they've learned the beauty of having six of them instead of one," Kingsley said wryly and shook his head. Taking out a sheet of parchment, he tore it in half and began to write out numbers on it. "Here."

Harry smiled at his comment. "Seven." He absently remembered counting seven as they'd passed him at the lifts on Friday.

Kingsley waved his hand. "Whatever." He dismissed the brunet with a wave and got back to work. "The more the faster." Harry shrugged and left to go home.

 

The same Monday night, bag in hand, Harry walked back through the corridors of the Aurors' department to the lifts after a brief trip home. Once inside, he made sure no one else was around or wanted to get on and allowed the doors to close. He pressed the red button and then typed in the seven digit code Kingsley had given him. When the lift started to plummet, his stomach turned and he held on tightly to the railing along the walls. As it slowed, Harry breathed deeply and when it finally stopped he sighed in relief.

"Level Seventeen: Trainer Apartments," the elevator's voice said. A keyhole appeared and Harry took the old looking key he'd gotten from Kingsley, put it in and turned it three times to the right, and then twice to the left as the instructions on the parchment told him. The doors of the elevator shimmered and formed a set of double oak doors around the keyhole. A click sounded and the doors opened.

For every department, there was a trainer who was employed to qualify each new employee for the job. Gone were the days of internship. Because of this, and because of the sensitivity of some trainers' job content, each of them (to refute claims of favouritism) were needed to stay close and were therefore assigned the seventeenth floor to reside in. Even Hermione had lived here for a while until she'd admitted to the work being too much for her and left in favour of her current placement. When he'd retrieved the key from the keyhole, Harry stepped out onto a corridor lined with wooden doors and looked for door number seventeen-twenty-three.

When he'd found the door, finally, he took note of the fancy style of the numbers. It was different from all the others he'd passed. Harry rolled his eyes at this and absently noticed the mail box, which stood on the right side of the door, unlike all the others on the floor, had a letter sticking out of it. The bright red coat of arms of the Spanish Ministry stood out on the envelope. Ignoring it because it wasn't his business, he used the brass knocker attached to the door twice. When there was no answer he continued knocking and ringing the bell.

 

Draco walked sluggishly to his front door, his hands rubbing on his face to wake himself up properly. He raised his wand to view whoever was on the other side attacking his doorbell and knocker. When he saw Potter, he did a double take and took a second look. The view didn't change. Draco groaned and leaned against the door yawning. "Potter, it is two a.m. and you do not know me this well." He lay back against the door and closed his eyes tiredly. He did not need this after his shit-load of a day.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You think I want to be here?"

Draco nodded from his side of the door. "Then we're in agreement, neither of us wants you here. Goodnight." He got up and began walking back to his bedroom.

Harry, however, only knocked louder. "Malfoy either you open up now, or I go to Kingsley. He's the one who sent me here." Extra light spilled into the dimmed hallway and two other residents came outside to find out who was causing all the noise in the corridor.

 

"Harry Potter? What the hell are you doing here at this time of night?" one of them said. Harry recognised him as the International Travelport Customer Service Agent trainer. Harry snorted. Well, he doesn't do his job very well, he thought remembering the appalling service those agents gave to anyone passing through their service.

Upon hearing his neighbours on the corridor, Draco slumped from where he stood and walked back to the front door. He instantly felt the chill of the corridor on his skin when he opened the door and crossed his arms over his chest. "What do you want?" He eyed the other trainers disdainfully.

Harry stood still watching the naked chest of Draco Malfoy, trying hard not to actually look down. Using his peripheral vision he stared and stared, all the while looking at the head of mussed hair that fell out of the hair band at his nape and sleepy grey eyes to tell him exactly what he came for. He thought he did rather well to keep it coherent despite all the distraction.

Draco scoffed. "Well, that's a no."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Malfoy, it's not my idea." He walked passed him and went to sit down on the sofa. The coffee table in front of him was strewn with paper, some of which had cup rings outlined in something brown that Harry suspected was coffee. "You know, coffee addictions give you headaches," he said working out the reason for the heavy page in the Potions text he'd borrowed.

Draco shut the door on the trainers who were still outside listening to their conversation, quickly snagging the white sheet of parchment-come-envelope he'd noticed. He frowned down at the letter, blatantly ignoring Harry's comment. "Why did he send you to babysit me? I don't need it," he said sending the letter off to his room with a spell. And then Draco had a revelation. His eyes narrowed. "Frederick." He focused on Harry once more.

Harry didn't know what to say once those eyes got stuck on him. He felt like he was being reprimanded by McGonagall all over again. "Er, yeah, Fred." The redhead had suggested Harry be assigned to Draco to protect him from the person or people trying to kill him. Even though Draco would hate the situation, it was a good idea, or so Fred had said.

Draco sighed as if the world were falling in on him and there was nothing he could do about it. "Well, why you? It's not like there aren't others who I'd actually enjoy having around."

"If you mean Fred, he's got another assignment and I don't think he would have agreed anyway."

Draco sat down slowly watching Harry carefully. "What do you mean?" he said.

Harry looked over at the change in tone, almost too casual to be true. "It's not like that. Look we found the guy who gave Fred the potion. He's in the holding cells. He was under Imperiusso we had to go through his memories. The person who put him under attacked him from behind but found out Fred had something exciting to tell you about him and Katie bell. Fred now feels guilty and is convinced whoever it was did it so he'd distract you."

Draco nodded in understanding. "And I wouldn't go through the motions like I would if it were someone else." He sat down on his sofa and shook his head. "It's not his fault, he has to know that."

"That's what I said. Word for word actually."

Draco shook his head. "He won't listen, stupid Weasley." He scratched his head and yawned pulling out the band that had come loose and re-tied his hair to secure it away. Harry could hear the fondness in his voice that belayed his tone.

Harry looked closer at the papers on the desk. "What are these?"

Draco was still watching him. "Not that it's any of your business, but they're lesson plans, Potter."

Harry frowned. "They're dated for August." He looked up at the blond. "That's four months from now."

Draco rolled his eyes at him. "It's called being prepared, Potter. You know, having a plan? Of course, Gryffindors wouldn't understand having plans," he said as if it were stupid of him to even group the two words together. The blond put his feet up on the chair and watched him. It was almost unnerving.

Harry sat thinking about the enigma of Draco Malfoy and Fred's words that afternoon. Both he and Kingsley had been surprised when Fred had opted to be sent away for assignment leaving Harry to take on Malfoy. Harry had an inkling that perhaps Ron had caught onto his man-crush and told Fred. They both had a sadistic sense of humour after all. He'd cornered Harry outside the office to explain.

'Harry, I know you don't want to do this but could you do it anyway as a favour to me?'Sighing, he continued,'Since the explosion, he thinks more people will be on his back saying now he's slipped up once, he could do it again. He's going to be driving himself crazy making sure all his bases are covered. He doesn't have the Manor, he doesn't have money – besides what he gets here – and he'd chew off his arms before he'd accept charity from anyone. I'm not going to be here because of this assignment Kingsley's sending me on, just take care of him, okay? For me. Besides,'he'd added with a grin,'people are less likely to go against the Chosen One, even if he is protecting a Malfoy.'

Harry had sighed, nodded and then proceeded home to pack some things in a bag. To be honest, not liking Malfoy was far from the reason for his hesitancy in the matter, he more than liked him. It was his fear of not being able to concentrate on what was important, resulting in him missing something vital. He'd thought it before but as he'd packed what little he'd need he thought it again.

The blond was distracting.

Harry's eyes tracked upward just a little to see Draco still staring at him and quickly lowered them again. He had to fight to concentrate on the words on the page, though. Case in point, he thought to himself and sighed. But Harry had seen the beginnings of dark shadows under Draco's eyes and was glad he'd taken this assignment after all. He shook off his thoughts and stopped peripherally looking at the blond long enough to read a few more pages. "You're teaching Dark Magic?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm teaching its defence and, since you can't defend something you don't understand, they have to learn these first. They do not use them, I do," he said by way of an excuse. When Harry gave him no reply, he huffed. "Look, in order to properly defend against Dark Magic, you have to learn to understand how it works, how it changes a person's aura. Once you know that, you can identify when it's coming, how it's coming" he began. He counted on his fingers, "and what it will do to you once it gets to you, all before the caster picks up their wand."

Harry now thought about the Aurors that had trained under Malfoy. Their reactions were always spot on and sometimes it even seemed they were psychic. Some of them cast protection spells and counter-spells as if they could predict them before they happened.

"Does Kingsley know?" he asked gesturing to the lessons in his hands.

Draco cocked an eyebrow. "Who do you think approved it?" he said to him obviously.

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "How did you get that approved? Most people would have to blow him to get a good result like that, he's that unshakeable," Harry joked remembering the infuriating session of convincing he'd had to do on Friday gone.

Draco just looked at him some more and shrugged. "Well, I did."

Harry, not getting it, was still laughing and looked at him in mirth. "Did what?" he said chuckling.

Draco continued. "I sucked his cock and refused to let him come until he said yes. Which he did. Over and over and over-"

Harry, who had begun to see this was not a joke anymore sat up straight. "Okay, shut up, now." When Draco did, Harry observed him carefully. He honestly couldn't tell if Draco was telling the truth or not. "Are you joking?" Please dear Merlin, tell me you're joking.

Draco smirked at him. "If I was, and if you were in my classes, you'd know."

Harry still couldn't tell. "You're sick."

Draco just laughed and got up. "You will sleep here," he said pointing down to the sofa Harry sat on as if he were talking to a pet. "Tomorrow I will see if I can get rid of you. Until then, good night." He walked off in the direction of a short corridor Harry presumed led to his bedroom.

 

Harry watched the drills and found himself in awe of these young men and women under Malfoy's tutelage. I can't do that, he thought to himself as he turned his head to the side, How the hell are they doing that? Ten minutes later, Harry was still in wonder as Malfoy called them all in. The group filed into a line facing forward, their hands to their sides and feet a shoulder's width apart. Harry could tell they were out of breath, but they controlled their breathing very well. From where Harry sat, they were all facing him, Draco stood before them, his back to Harry and Harry chanced a quick glance at Draco's form, his gaze sticking on his arse through his blue trainer robes. There was silence.

"What have we learnt, Foster?" he said and Harry looked up to see the blond had turned to the side and was drilling the young woman with a glare. Her hair was mussed, having run through a severe obstacle course. Harry recognised her as the woman who was supremely flexible. He also noticed that whenever she completed a strategic move, she would always base it on her right side. The glare Draco showed did not soften for her and Harry almost felt sorry for her. She, however, didn't cower but answered evenly accepting her mistake.

Her heavy Irish brogue was noticeable as she controlled her breathing. "My left side is not me strong side. Next time the drills are conducted I will use that side only. As Aurors, we cannot afford to have obvious weak points that can be exploited, Sir." Harry raised his eyebrows at the straightforward response, so alike to all the others who had graduated and were currently working upstairs. Every time they were asked a question, it was answered. If they didn't know it, chances were the answer would be written in full with footnotes on your desk waiting for you by the end of the day. Harry had honestly never seen Hermione so happy.

Draco seemed to accept this and turned to a young man and walked up to him. "And you, Codwell, what have you learnt today?" His eyes narrowed and he walked around the man. When he was behind him, he looked at Harry, cocked his eyebrow and then gestured for him to look at the young man with a smile, who had alternated from looking straight ahead to chancing glances at him.

Harry furrowed his eyebrows a second, not catching on, and shut his book. His eyes alternated between the two of them wondering why the trainee was looking at him so nervously. It wasn't until Harry heard the young man that he understood why Draco was smiling at him. "I've learned not to be cocky and try to show off for qualified Aurors, Sir."

Draco's facial features became solemn as he walked around them. "Good, I appreciate your honesty." He turned to them sharply. "Do you know why I called you on it?" As the young man was about to answer he shook his head at him. "It's so you all know, I only allow cockiness and showing off when you are doing it for me." The group allowed themselves to smile a little and waited for dismissal, which Draco gave with a gesture of his head toward the showers. "Go on, go home and rest, I'll see you again tomorrow." They filed out in the order they stood in line in silence.

Harry couldn't help it, he was impressed. The discipline they showed was remarkable. The fact they carried it with them when they graduated to upstairs was even more so. Draco walked up to him and sat down drinking a glass of water he'd conjured.

"He was showing off for me?" Harry said. "I thought he just liked me."

Draco scoffed. "I walked in here with you, sat you down and didn't explain to them what you were doing here. They figured they were being evaluated. Some of them took it too far." He sat back. "I've told them before not to pay too much attention to people evaluating them. They complete their training well when people are not looking, and my standards of 'well' are much higher than others. Having Aurors watching should not change their behaviour. When they do, they are too caught up in showing off. They make mistakes, like Codwell did." He got up. "As for liking you, I discourage non-cemented relationships during training, especially interwork relationships. They're distracting."

"So you'd never have one with someone working with you?"

Draco looked at him. "No, Potter." He rolled his eyes. "This whole place is teaming with Gryffindor's anyway. I don't do Gryffindors, Potter, not in a hundred-million years." He swung his bag over his shoulder. "Come on, lunch time." Harry followed him to the lunch room, somewhere he didn't usually frequent. The chatter from the different departments filled the room happy with laughter and eating. Even the Constructors had made themselves comfortable, borrowing an extra chair to squeeze in one more at the six-man table.

Draco and Harry's patterns had been established rather quickly but Harry had always thought of himself as rather adaptable. Over the week of them constantly together, aside from Malfoy's standard whining of being watched over like a toddler and strict orders from Kingsley to do as he was told, they had gotten along well and Draco had stopped complaining, focusing instead on his job. As long as Harry didn't get in his way, he heard little to nothing from Malfoy besides his manneristic salutations. And he was free to ogle him whenever he pleased, since not getting in Malfoy's way came to being easily ignored. Harry continued his research into the case, even involving Hermione since it was her job and she got paid to help him now, one of their friendly jokes. They'd listed a few suspects beside the obvious war crime suspects that would fall on anyone's list. For the most part there was peace.

Naturally, that meant things could only get worse, which they did. Monumentally.

Harry took the keys for Malfoy's apartment out of the blond's hands and turned the key in the hole until it clicked open. He ignored Draco's rolling eyes and shook his head as he switched on the light. Harry had told him that part of being protected meant Harry had to do everything first. This included walking into rooms first and even opening doors. Draco had teased him about it and laughed at Harry's blush when he'd stated he'd make a good husband one day. Harry hadn't mentioned he didn't aim to be the husband of a woman, like Draco had assumed, and instead joked that Draco 'wouldn't know what hit him' with a husband like Harry. Draco's uncharacteristic pause made Harry smile, glad that he'd gotten a one up on him. That is, until Draco had said he'd know exactly what to do with him and it had nothing at all to do with opening doors and walking into rooms, except for one. He'd walked to the shower then, leaving Harry standing in the kitchen speechless.

The next two weeks were, to Harry, filled with innuendos and tension and Harry didn't know what to think or where to go because he couldn't leave the blond's side. Once they'd entered Draco's apartment, however, he'd been sobered completely by being treated to the sight of chaos all over and large words on the wall that could only mean something bad was going to happen.

  ** _'Say goodbye Malfoy'_**  


Harry had them under a heavy protection spell the second he heard the ominous click of the door.

Draco's exclamation at the state of his room was drowned out soon after by the noise. As the bright flash appeared, Harry'd grabbed Draco by his waist and flung him against the wall, covering the both of them with his cloak as the room became immensely hot and shook heavily under the force of the explosion.

 

"MOTHER-FUC-" Harry yelled in the hospital room and the nurse blushed at his words as he continued to pull out the bits of glass and wood splinters that had sunk into his skin in the blast. The only reason he'd been cut off was because Draco had been sitting next to him and silenced him with a spell.

"The potion has worn off, could you give him another one?" he asked the nurse. He'd been eyeing the nurse's work. One could never be sure about nurses after all. The man looked up from his task and nodded, putting down the tweezers and leaving to get another few phials of pain relief and numbing potions. Harry had been there for three hours already and each hour they wore off, showing Draco exactly how incompetent they were. When he got home he'd make a better – He suddenly remembered he had no home and thought of everything he owned being burned up. All his work, gone. He shook off the thoughts and looked down to his hand. He had already been to get the few minor scratches he'd received treated and returned with a bandage on his hand, the only place he'd been hit. Most of the damage had gone to Harry since he'd practically covered Draco from the second blast in his apartment.  Draco closed his eyes remembering the feel of the wall against him and the sound of Harry cursing behind him to get down. 

_._

_The bright flash of light had him ducking his head down into the darkness of Harry's robes as the almighty heat hit the shield boiling up the air surrounding them to the point he thought the shield would melt away. Harry screamed again in pain from the crushing pressure of the explosion against the shield he'd erected holding Draco tighter. Draco gripped his hands, entwined as they were, and held on until the noise and the light and the pressure ebbed away._

_When it was safe, he felt Harry lean against him heavily in relief and felt the puffs of air by his temple as he straightened._

_"You okay?" he heard in his ear softly, though that could have been the result of the blast. He felt as if his ears were clogged. Nodding, he let go of Harry's loosened hands and noticed absently that he could see out into the hallway from the holes in the wall. When Harry let go of him completely, he turned around to see the room was destroyed, little fires still lit in various areas. He stayed close, even when Harry took down the shield, and soon found himself gathered in the man's arms again. Something else had exploded, sounding oddly like a breaking object made of glass, obviously triggered by the spell Harry had cast. Shards of wood and glass came at them. He had a split second to think that whoever it was seriously wanted him dead if they'd come up with a backup plan in case he'd survived_ that _kind of explosion in his own apartment. But the thought left him as soon as it came because Harry, having turned them again, was screaming something intelligible. It was only when Draco saw the splinters and shards embed themselves sharply in the wall that he realised Harry hadn't put up a shield this time. He winced when he felt two of them enter his hand._

_Harry collapsed against him, sending Draco crashing into the wall, the impact knocking them both unconscious. He'd woken up to Harry draped over him covered in blood and being lifted by Aurors sometime later. He called his name, expecting the man to open his eyes or react in some way, but he didn't._

.

Through the whole ordeal, Draco was disturbed to note that panic had only set in when the Harry wouldn't react to his calls.

He opened his eyes to see Harry laying face down on the hospital bed with his eyes closed and mumbling something no one could hear. Draco swept his gaze over Harry's back, seeing all the blood there and knew that it hurt. It had to. The Mediwizards had tried to extract the shards and splinters with magic but that only caused them to embed themselves deeper. He could hear Harry's screams from the waiting room. He remembered being held back by Kingsley when he'd fought to go in and see him.

"Aside from the obvious, are you okay?" he asked softly. Despite their awkward living situation he had gotten accustomed to Harry's presence and attention all the time. The fully fledged Auror had been a constant presence at his side for over two weeks now and Draco wasn't sure how he felt about the panic he'd experienced when the man hadn't answered him. He'd heard Harry's voice over and over again for so long, in their playful banter and even when he wasn't being spoken to or ignored. Draco wouldn't talk when he was in a mood, which Harry often sensed and took it upon himself to absorb the silence, speaking for the both of them, engaging himself in the craziest conversations that the blond had no choice but to listen to and laugh at. However, Harry had the sense not to do this in the Laboratory, only during the breaks in his lessons, lunchtime and when they were in his apartment. Harry certainly took his job seriously. As Draco's eyes traversed the length of naked skin before him he thought,  _Case in point_  and smiled to himself.

"Do I look it?" Harry said silently because of the spell but Draco read it on his lips and was glad he chuckled a little, pain lacing the expression on his face. Draco didn't take it personally.

The door opened then and the nurse came in once more with a phial carrier of about six potions: three red and three blue. Behind him followed Kingsley. The large man eyed the two of them, sighing when he saw the state of them. "I am ashamed to say that the security of the Ministry is not what it used to be. Malfoy, I apologise for what has happened mainly because I know what that apartment meant to you." Draco looked down and nodded. "We'll have the apartments set up for you all as soon as possible, I promise." Draco shook his head trying to figure out why somebody would want him dead this badly. All those people that lived on the same corridor were also on the ward being treated.

Harry swallowed down the potion the nurse gave him quickly and winced at the taste but settled down again with a sigh. "Potter." He looked back at Kingsley squinting a little in the absence of his glasses which had come off somewhere in the explosion. He waited. "You're on leave."

Harry snorted. Draco could tell by the way his body jerked in movement. "Sure." Draco took off the silencing spell and Harry said it again out loud.

Kingsley gripped the bridge of his nose. "No, Potter, I'm serious this time. The both of you, you're on leave. Before you start," he said anticipating their responses with a hand up for them to stop talking before they started, "Malfoy, we have a replacement to cover your classes. Those lesson plans you turn it half a year in advance, despite the lunacy of it, are very helpful. Potter, we have to force you to take holidays. The first weekend we gave you, you came back with a full length report on a case you  _weren't even on_  and subsequently asked for. Now, I appreciate your dedication, but if you do not take this I will fire you altogether. Is that understood?"

Harry looked down and ignored the looks Draco was giving him. He nodded like a scolded child. Kingsley gave a brisk nod to them both and left the room.

 

Harry's three days in the hospital were hell on earth and even the hospital staff was glad to see the back of him when he was discharged, free of injury and scars. His glasses had been thoroughly destroyed and Harry had opted to fix his eyes once and for al reasoning that if they came off again when he was doing his job, he'd be of no help whatsoever. It didn't stop his habit of trying to slide them back up his nose with his finger though. He entered his house with Draco in tow and they sat down in his living room. The apartments would not be ready for a week and a half – the Constructors were already complaining of the extra work – and Harry had offered to put him up for the time being until it was deemed safe enough to move him.

Two formerly busy Ministry workers suddenly placed in a house with nothing to do, however, was not a good idea.

After the television had been explained and played with, a day later the novelty wore off. So did the stereo and most of the electrical items in the kitchen. Harry grew sick of trying to keep his eyes off the blond, his now perfect eyesight giving him the perfect view at every possible angle except the one he wanted. He instead decided to stretch his culinary arms and try some of the dishes in the cookbook he'd bought some time ago with all the long unpronounceable names. When Draco helped him, both of them laughing over the ridiculous titles, the time moved faster and the dishes were done quicker allowing them the pleasure of eating earlier. For the most part they got along. That is until they'd spent three days indoors. Alone. Bored.

Harry came downstairs the fourth day. "Get dressed, we're going out."

Draco turned around from his perusal of the television channels. He then did a double take at Harry's state of dress. The crème-coloured, Aran ribbed jumper he wore over the dark blue jeans made him stare. The brunet's hair was wet, and he was absent-mindedly drying it with a towel. Draco whistled and grinned when Harry blushed. He could smell the scent of him. He smelled  _divine_.

Draco didn't hate himself for the attraction, unnerving as it was. Three full days in a house, alone, with a good-looking man, who could cook and keep him entertained was an explanation by itself, especially after said man saved his life twice. He was on paid leave and he was going to enjoy it. Still, they'd been instructed not to leave the house. Potter's home was drugged to the eyeballs in wards and curses that not even pests could get through. Kingsley liked the idea of them both staying as safe as possible. "We're not allowed to."

Harry snorted. "Oh, screw that. We'll kill each other soon and it's only for a little while. Besides, I  _was_ assigned to protect you, and I think I've done a good enough job of it so far. I'm on 'vacation' or whatever but that doesn't mean I've forgotten how to be an Auror, neither have you, as you keep reminding me." He put his towel down and leaned on the back of the couch with his arms. "So, go get dressed."

Despite himself, Draco smiled and hurried to bathe and dress. Good entertainment or not, the both of them were getting tired of the monotony. He bypassed Harry and ran up the stairs quickly to shower. While he was gone, Harry made his way to the kitchen to make himself a sandwich. Knowing Malfoy, he'd be there for a while waiting on his arse. Harry shook off the thoughts of Malfoy's arse and concentrated on buttering the slices of bread.

 

They Apparated side-along into pitch darkness. The wind blew around them and stirred Draco's hair, which he'd decided against tying back. It was always tied back for work, something he wished he'd done now as some of the loose strands went in his mouth. He spat them out and then felt his hand get tugged in one direction. He took a second to realise he was holding Potter's hand, his whole awareness suddenly focusing on the heat surrounding the one appendage. It unnerved him because, in the darkness, all he could do was feel and smell the man and it was driving him mad.

"Wh – where are we going?" he asked trying his hardest to stay distracted. The ground was soft, like grass. He frowned at that thought but was grateful for a distraction. "Where are we?" he asked again when the ground suddenly became hard as they walked on. Potter seemed to be walking easily through the darkness which either meant he'd cast a charm or he frequented wherever they were often. He heard metal rattling before a loud click rang in his ears and echoed in the large space. He spun around when light flooded the area. The hundreds of seats ran upward and around in an oval and the screens were humongous. Even when it was empty, the sheer size of it made Draco gasp, overwhelmed.

A Quidditch stadium.

Draco's stood speechless. In all his years as a Quidditch fan, he'd never actually seen an empty stand. It was ominous and somehow made Draco feel like he had to whisper. The dark night and bright moon didn't help. "Merlin's balls. Have we just committed breaking and entering?" he whispered worriedly. He was all for a bit of fun, but working for the Ministry didn't mean they were immune to the law.

Harry only snorted. "Hardly, I own it."

Draco stood frozen as Harry moved past him, letting go of his hand to move toward a cabinet that held, of course, state of the art brooms.

"You  _are_  joking," Draco whispered in disbelief, not sure if he was talking about the brooms or the ownership of the stadium.

Harry shook his head "'Fraid not. I invested back when I was young and stupid. When there wasn't much business, the other partners sold their parts to me. Then word got out I owned it," he continued with a very 'up-to-something' grin, "and more games were played and now, I'm seven times as rich as I was when I left school." He looked around as if in pride.

Draco laughed gathering himself together. "You were rich in school? I find that hard to believe."

Harry smirked. "Believe what you want," he said not really caring one way or the other. He held up the broom. "Now, there aren't any balls or snitches, the referee keeps them to ensure there ain't any tampering or whatever. So-" He grinned. "-what do you think of a good few hours flight to stave off our boredom for tonight?" Draco's eyes were glued to the  _Cirrus 9000_ , the fastest broom this side of the Milky Way and couldn't do anything except grin in return.

 

"I can't feel my face." Draco sat up on the brooms and smiled. He couldn't help it, he hadn't felt so free in years.

Harry looked across at him. He'd been down to switch off the stadium lights once the moon came out. It seemed more personal that way, instead of feeling they were out there competing again. He didn't want that tonight, he just wanted to relax. Right now they were in the air, hovering where they were with seven brooms lined up top-to-tail making a bench of sorts for them both to sit on. Harry had swung a leg over and was watching the blond under the light of the moon.

The small smile on Draco's face made Harry smile too. It brought out a freeness in Draco's expression that made him want to kiss him senseless. "You should smile more, you're more attractive that way." Harry instantly thought of throwing himself off the brooms he was sitting on when Draco watched him carefully.

Draco took his time answering him as well, which only made him fret more. He averted his eyes. "O…kay, as opposed to looking what, though? Just attractive?" he smirked.

Harry raised his head and then rolled his eyes once he realised the blond was teasing him. "Arse."

Draco cocked his head. "What about my arse?" He too moved around so he could swing one leg over to face him. Harry moved back to give him room. "Come on, what about it?" Harry looked away, the image of Draco sitting astride and facing him too much to withstand at the moment. Harry was receiving very curious looks from the other side of their 'bench'. He lushed and looked as far away as he could. "Do you like me, Potter?" When Harry wouldn't look at him Draco smiled wider. He'd suspected it before but to have proof of it was different. "Wow. Well," he said shrugging and leaned back on his hands once more. "I guess there are worse things to being liked by a Gryffindor."

Harry hadn't ever felt so embarrassed. He had to say something. "What happened to 'Never in a hundred-million years?'" he said incredulous.

Draco smirked and leaned forward. "Ah, but that was before I learned that  _this_  particular Gryffindor was head over heels for me." He moved back into his relaxed position.

Harry felt trapped. "I'm not in love with you!" he denied.

Draco seemed taken aback by the response before his expression softened and he smiled. "I never said that, Potter." He could almost hear the string of 'shit's Harry was repeating over and over again in his mind. He gave a one-armed shrug from his position. "Nothing wrong with it, mind you. It's actually rather  _attractive_." He grinned.

"Oh, God, this is so embarrassing." Harry closed his eyes.

Draco nodded. "True," he said peppering the word with amused laughter. "But like I said, there are worse things." He scratched his nose idly before leaning back again. "I, for one, must say that this has brightened my suckfest of a month." He laughed again.

Harry laughed with him and shook his head at the situation. His slight obsessive crush over the man was out in the open, and Draco treated it like he found out about this kind of thing every day.

"It explains a lot too," Draco went on. When Harry looked up he continued. "All the times you fell over in your chair when I passed by, you taking on my case voluntarily." He stopped there. "You lied to me there, Potter, I shall be seeking retribution. Also, the way you looked at me when I came down the stairs tonight. Gave me  _quite_  the thrill." He waggled his eyebrows.

Harry rolled his eyes again and then laughed. They sat in silence after that, staring out over the pitch and at the moon. He looked over at the blond who, for lack of better words, seemed to be ' _moonbathing_ '. "Can I ask you a question?"

Draco's eyes remained closed. "You are asking me a question."

He should have seen that coming. Harry sighed and just asked. "Why did you become a trainer? Why didn't you stay as an Auror?"

His eyes finally opened and Harry was amazed at the silver of them under the moonlight. "You really want the answer to that?"

Harry nodded, convinced that what he was about to be told would change his opinion of the man once again.

Draco sat forward, his index fingers playing with the smooth dark wood of the brooms before him. "You." He looked up momentarily expecting to find the confused look there. "I pushed myself throughout training to best you. I figured if I could be better than you then I would surely show everyone that I was worth being employed there. Only," he said with a sardonic laugh, "I seemed to have forgotten my limits. I did well with the training exercises and in my exams, but they were all staged, weren't they? In the real world, situations, no matter how much we are prepared for them, they're real and being killed is a big possibility.

"I knew you were able to do that, you'd spent your whole life doing that. I'm not cut out for it and somehow, I only realised that an hour after my exams. That from now on, I was  _in_  like I wanted to be but now I had placed myself in danger. I knew there that no matter how much I beat you in the small battles that the bigger ones were still out of my league. When I was offered the chance to be a trainer, I thought, 'Holy Merlin, I'm saved'. Then, when I was offered the Potions job, I was over the moon. Two things I was good at, that I could excel at and you couldn't beat me in any of them. I relished it. But then I started to wonder, as you do when you get everything you want," he added as an aside. "How long is this going to last before someone plants a seed of mistrust, before I get blamed for something – anything, before all the talk and suspicion finally breaks down the Head of Department and I get thrown out again?

"So I worked, and worked until there were no mistakes, no reason for anyone to see me negatively and I succeeded for the most part. Now the only people I'm in contact with are Kingsley, my students, Frederick and you." He frowned. "Come to think of it, that is kind of sad." He laughed.

Harry laughed with him, his own hands following the pattern of the traces Draco made with his fingers. "You inspire me. I've never seen anyone work so hard before. You know what you want and how to get it but you don't understand that you don't have to work so hard. Kingsley has fired people that haven't shut up about you being there, did you know that?" Draco looked shocked and Harry nodded to reassure him.

"What?"

"Yeah, naturally they were the first suspects for this up there after some of those from the War but they've all been checked out. You work too hard to make people proud. You've done it since you were younger and I believe you'll keep on doing it, it's part of your nature, but you don't  _have_  to. I do it too." When Draco rolled his eyes at him Harry smiled. "Do you know why I became an Auror?"

Draco laughed. "I guess you bring this up because you're proving you know how I feel?" Harry nodded so Draco sighed. "So, not glory seekage, then?"

Harry shook his head smiling. "No. My parents, they were in the Order of the Phoenix. They died before they were able to finish it, though, before the purpose of the Order had been seen through." He looked up at the moon. "I feel as if I need to pay them back for that. It was my fault Voldemort came to our home in the first place." They sat in silence for a while.

Draco snorted. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

Harry looked at him angrily before he suddenly smiled. "That's what Hermione said. Doesn't stop me from thinking it, though, from trying to make them proud. They had some pretty big shoes to fill."

Draco looked at him, saw the sadness from years of proving himself sitting there, almost tangible, on his shoulders. "Aside from your stupid reasons," he began casually and waited for the brunet to raise his head, "I'm sure your parents would be very proud of the man you've become, Harry James Potter." Harry's gaze seemed glued to the brooms and, to prove his point, Draco moved closer and gripped Harry's face with his two hands, forcing the brunet to look at him and  _listen_.

"Forget fulfilling the prophecy. The person you are, the things you've been through and the choices you have made would make any parent proud to call you their son." He continued to stare at him trying to drive the point home but instead found his gaze slipping to down to Harry's lips. He was biting them in his nervousness.

Harry smiled at him and felt his own eyes drawn to Draco's mouth. "Yeah," he said shakily. "You too, Draco." He exhaled shakily, not wanting any thing to disrupt the moment, especially when he noticed Draco's face was becoming so very close to his own.

"Thank you, Potter." Grey eyes loomed closer before he felt lips brush against his. The hands that had gripped him loosened and fell to his lap where his own hands were. He couldn't believe this was happening. Draco came toward him, one of his hands lightly dragging up his forearm as his went to the soft material at Draco's hips. Draco's hand found his neck and pulled him in. They kissed slowly at first, short, open-mouthed kisses that had Draco gripping Harry's jumper to pull his body up against his. Harry's hands moved from their position at Draco's hips to slide down his thighs and grip under his knees. He took hold of them and slid him forward, repositioning Draco's legs over his own thighs and then slid his hands back up to wrap behind the blond's back.

Draco moaned under the onslaught of Harry's lips and tongue, pushing his own into the warm recesses of his partner's mouth, his hand lightly dragging through Harry's hair. Harry broke away from the kiss, his mouth finding its way down the long column of his throat to lightly suck a tender pulse point. The groan he garnered made him tremble as his body erupted in pleasant tingles.

"I think – I think we need to get back home. Right now."

A loud crack sounded in the dark stadium and, sometime the next day, someone would come in to work and wonder why there were seven brooms hanging in the air in a bench-like formation.

"I want you," Harry said and pulled Draco closer kissing him gently. Draco's mouth parted with ease as Harry begged entrance to explore and tease and Draco's arms secured themselves around his neck. Fingers in his hair guided his movements as Draco tenderly sucked his tongue. Harry turned them moving backward onto the bed guiding Draco with him. He lay back as Draco straddled him. Harry, not daring to let go, pulled him closer. "I do, I want you," he whispered again. When Draco pulled away their noses touched, his breath hot against Harry's mouth in the cold room because he hadn't used a heating charm yet and it was torture. He felt when Draco sat up, the new angle and shift in weight causing his hips to buck which elicited a smile from the man above him because he felt it oh – so – well.

"Say it again," he heard and he did, he said it like a mantra and saw Draco's close his eyes to savour the words. He furrowed his eyebrows momentarily not knowing why because he would gladly say it anytime of the day, whenever, wherever and however he wanted. Draco leaned down, eyes closed and more or less crawled up Harry's body, his dexterous fingers guiding him alone until his face was directly above Harry's and kissed him softly. The motion was agonisingly slow, complete torture for the man below him and Draco smiled against his mouth because he knew it. He broke the kiss one more time resting his forehead against his counterpart. His eyes were covered beneath closed lids. "Say it again," he whispered, his palms flat against Harry's chest.

"I want you," Harry repeated and Draco's eyes opened with a slight gasp, his hands fisting in Harry's jumper. Harry locked eyes with the man above him unable to break contact. The dark desire within them simply smouldered the soul. He watched as Draco looked down toward him before he broke out into a feral smile.

"So have me."

Harry let out a deep breath he didn't know he was holding before impatiently flipping them over and pressing Draco down into the mattress below them. He kissed Draco thoroughly thrusting his tongue deeper as hands let go of his jumper and arms found their home around his neck, the hands knotting in his hair pulling him closer. Harry's hands began to wonder down to the hem of Draco's sweater raising it upwards while feeling the skin underneath. When Draco felt those fingers, like fire against him, he arched his back and then sat up somewhat to help Harry tug the offending garment over his head. He gasped sucking in his bottom lip when he felt Harry's mouth find the base of his throat as he pulled it off himself. Draco threw the garment away somewhere forgetting it instantly and tilted back his head as he lay back down under the weight of Harry to give him better access. Meanwhile his hands busied themselves with divesting Harry of that damn jumper followed by that asinine t-shirt underneath it, the desperate desire to feel that skin against him becoming more than he could bear. He then moved on to his jeans but when Harry's mouth found his again he became momentarily distracted with the kiss before his legs involuntarily wrapped themselves around Harry's waist to remind him. He arched his back again and began grinding his hips upward to signal his impatience. Thoroughly satisfied with the sensations it brought he did it again, and again and a-.

Harry broke the kiss this time. "Okay – Okay – I get it," he said as a collective gasp, shudder and moan before quick hands got to work on their trousers and preparing Draco for him. His fingers slid in slowly, aided by the gel he kept in a side drawer.

Draco squirmed impatiently driving himself down onto those fingers graoning when Harry took them away. "Fuck it, just go ahead, I'm ready!."

Harry watched him carefully. "You sure?"

"Merlin, I'm not a girl, Potter. Get on with it." Shaking his head, Harry pulled his fingers out completely.

Settling himself between Draco's legs once more, Harry's hands ran up and down Draco's sides as he kissed him before securing them at the small of his back and driving forward garnering a gasp below him as he paused a minute savouring the new heat that surrounded him. Feeling Draco fall still beneath him, he looked down. His eyes were open and his mouth was slightly parted, something Harry took as an invitation and kissed him again. It was returned instantly, heavy and demanding, as hips rolled against him. Draco's hair fell over his face hiding half of his expression but Harry could see every reaction to his movements in those sharp features. Each twist, each cry and each desperate wrench was shown on that face, its owner powerless to stop them from surfacing. The murmur of pleasure and the passionate shiver made his body pulse. Draco shuddered countering each thrust with one of his own forcing Harry deeper and each one educed a helpless guttural moan.

He repossessed Draco's mouth with his own, catches of breath and tongue drawing out long moans of bliss just as a new angle forced a heady intake of breath from the man below him that broke the kiss abruptly. He let his head fall on Draco's shoulder and smiled slowly withdrawing, eliciting a soft whimper that he felt as well as heard against his neck. "Oh, Gods. Please."

Nails scraped along his shoulder blades, raking down Harry's arms in Draco's insistence that he continue. The words, "Harry, please," repeated themselves softly to accompany it and Draco opened his eyes. His pupils had completely swallowed the grey leaving them dark with desire and Harry complied as those nails sank in once more hissing at the familiar gesture, the known and welcomed pain that branded him as Draco Malfoy's property. He loved it and winced at the sweet tinge as they found the crescent shaped grooves already carved into existence on his shoulders. As he thrust forward recklessly, keeping the angle, over and over, it felt like those fingernails would become permanently embedded at this point, but he didn't care.

Draco's hands clenched into the sheet beneath him. A hand lightly traced a path down his abdomen setting his body on fire as a mouth found his right nipple. He moaned and pressed his hips up in complete ecstasy as Potter thrust into him with careful strokes. Draco's breathing was growing heavier with every second and he buried his head in the juncture of Harry's neck trying to muffle his groans. His hands released the sheets to entangle themselves in Harry's hair, screaming the brunet's name as he came.

Harry pounded harder into him, pushed over the edge from Draco's muscles contracting and clenching around him. He felt the warmth of Draco's release over his hand as he came down from his high. Exhaling a breath, he kissed Draco's temple and collapsed beside him, muttering a cleaning charm as he went and falling asleep almost instantly.

Draco woke up sore and replete with the bright sun in his face, something he was not accustomed to in the room Potter had put him in. He groaned and turned over, feeling the twinge in his behind even more. He sat up suddenly and looked around remembering  _everything_. Potter wasn't there though.  _Is he freaking out as much as I am?_  Unsure now of what to do, Draco got up, looking for his clothes. Another problem. They weren't there.

They were outside… somewhere in the vicinity of the living room and hallway. Draco narrowed his eyes in thought.  _Maybe._

Draco got up with the sheet and made his way to the bedroom door and peeked out. As he did, Harry opened the door. Draco jumped back, sheet and all, and stood staring at the man, who stared back at him.

"Morning," Harry said with a smile.

"Hey," Draco said looking around.

Harry, confused by this behaviour rubbed the back of his neck in his hand. "Um, I figured something out. I was coming to tell you about it."

 _He was working? A night of fantastic sex and he wakes up to work?_  Draco blushed pink when he remembered the 'fantastic sex' part and looked down. "Um, okay." He followed Harry outside and down the stairs. When he saw the kitchen table, he stopped.

"How long have you been awake?" he asked in reaction to the sheer amount of paper and notes he could see spilling over onto most of the chairs and a few kitchen counters. He was sure they hadn't been there the day before.

"I... er, I couldn't sleep." He gestured to a chair and poured Draco a mug of coffee. Draco sat in the only available chair and sipped the coffee listening.

"I was replaying some of what you said last night in my mind." They both blushed at this but Harry soldiered on. "You said you only had contact with Kingsley, Fred, me and your students, right?" Draco nodded. "Okay, have any of your students ever come to your Laboratory?"

Draco thought. "A few, when they have assignments to hand in and couldn't get it to me in time by class."

Harry nodded. "Okay. Now, the students know trainers have apartments in the Ministry building-"

"Wait. Are you suspecting my students o-"

Harry's nod cut him off. "Yes. You say someone broke into your office? The date you filed a report on the break in-" He pulled it out. "You didn't list what was stolen. I went to your office-"

"When?" Draco looked at him shocked. Kingsley had said he'd fire Harry if he even saw him on the premises visiting friends.

"I told you, I couldn't sleep," Harry smiled. "Don't worry, my house is as warded as Azkaban, even more so because I set them myself. You're safe here, okay?" That wasn't what he was fretting over, actually. "I went to your office, looking for your notes on the 'Cold and Flu Reducant' you're making. I found it – here," he said handing it to him from a pile on the table. Draco took it. "However, there was a faint signature on it that wasn't yours."

"How do you know?"

"I'd know your signature by now, Draco." He went looking through another pile and missed the slight blush that coloured Draco's cheeks then. "Someone has duplicated it. I managed to get the signature and sent it to Hermione to research for me. She tells me it's from a past Auror Course student but, because he didn't make it through training, the names and everything were removed."

"That's stupid. Why keep the signature but remove the name."

Harry smiled at him. "Well, you can't set traps with names can you? Right now the signature is being set on your apartment. If the suspect even tries to get near you, or into the Ministry building, alarm bells will go off through every part of the building." He found the page he was searching for. "I went through every student that was turned away and every student who was failed in the course." Draco gave him an incredulous look. "There were a lot of them who were turned away from the course but only five of them who were accepted failed. I don't know if they were all in your class. Do you recognise any of these names?"

Draco was overwhelmed with the amount of work Harry had done to see to his safety and tried to focus on the names on the parchment he was being handed. He frowned over the names. He recognised them all, but only one of them had been in his class. The name stood out, though, for more than that reason.

"Henry Bertelsmann."

Harry took back the parchment to look at his name and then brought out the man's file. "Bertelsmann, an orphan, nineteen, doesn't have an address." Harry frowned.

"That's because he didn't have anywhere to live. He lost his parents in the war and set out to avenge them. We sent him to a counsellor after he nearly got killed trying to rescue a mannequin from a burning building. A year after the war I had Kingsley implement some psychological tests. Some of these people that were sent to us, they had killing bad guys on the brain. That isn't what law enforcement is about. Bertelsmann… he was a Potions genius, a brilliant marksman. Agility of a cat." Draco sat back remembering him. "He had the ears of a dog, the eyes of a hawk." He shook his head. "But he was bat-shit insane so they had to cut him."

"They?"

Draco nodded. "The Committee." He took another sip of his coffee.

Harry frowned. "What committee?"

Draco looked at him as if he were stupid. "The Committee of Admittance into the Auror Program, they survey your entry qualifications and then state if you are to be accepted. Once in, after the first term, the exam results are quantified to ensure you are of the proper material. It's done every term, except this time it had the added bonus of a psychologist. Bertelsmann rang all kinds of bells there. That's why they cut him. Completely loopy."

"I thought it was the teacher's who–" Cold realisation settled in Harry's stomach. "Oh my God." He looked back down at the file of Henry Bertelsmann.

Draco shook his head in confusion and set his empty cup down. "What?"

"How did you know it was the committee that overviews admittance? Does everyone know besides you and-" He didn't need to think about this one, "Hermione."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I researched it. I wanted to know who to contest my results to if I was failed. It's there in the open for anyone who bothers to look, I suppose. It was pretty easy to find once I looked for it." Then he understood. "You think he believes I failed him?" Draco asked.

Harry nodded. "Well, he had a lot riding on this, didn't he? He'd get a steady salary to fund his living situation, he'd have a job that allowed him access to any bad guy he could find."

"A girlfriend," Draco added.

"What?"

Draco shrugged. "Well, fiancée I should say. They were pretty serious until he was thrown out. Apparently her parents didn't approve of a homeless failed Auror as a son-in-law."

"Well, that certainly adds to the list." He got up. "Have some breakfast," he smiled and Draco toasted with his cup in silence. Harry scoffed. "Breakfast that consists of  _more_ than just caffeine." When Draco just smiled, Harry stared at him and then his eyes lingered on his form, the soft cotton from his bed wrapped around Draco's waist and over his shoulders. "You look good in my sheets." The pink tinge on Draco's cheeks made him grin but a slight frowned marred his features. "Why am I the only one talking?"

Draco finally looked away from all the parchment on the table and up at a man who'd practically forgone his night of sleep just to make sure he solved a case that would ensure Draco's safety. "Would it help if I told you, you look good in your sheets too?" He smirked.

He was rewarded with a blush from Harry this time. "It might help," the Auror said gaining back some composure and bit his bottom lip.

Draco cocked an eyebrow. "Well, you do," he assured him.

Letting go of his lip, Harry gestured with the file in his hand and began to pack everything back into the folder. "I need to tell this to Kingsley."

Draco chuckled. "Be careful before you get fired."

Harry continued to pack the things into a folder. "Don't worry," he said kissing his temple. "You're totally worth it." He went upstairs to change not seeing the blush or the small smile that spread on Draco's face.

Draco sat in the kitchen drinking the rest of the coffee Harry had given him after the brunet had Apparated to the Ministry. When he was done, he'd gathered up the sheet around his waist and stood. He paused. Looking around he listened to the silent house and grinned to himself. Dropping the sheet he stood starkers in the middle of the kitchen with nothing but a coffee cup in his hand. He walked over to the sink and washed out the cup placing it on the rack to dry. He picked up the sheet on his way out of the kitchen as he made his way upstairs and walked back into Harry's bedroom. He blushed, seeing the bed in such disarray and sat on it, depositing the sheet next to him and looked around.

He was bored.

Draco threw himself back and landed with a bounce. He stared up at the ceiling, following the crown moulding that ran around the four sides of the room. He sighed and then groaned. Sitting up he contemplated the idea he just had. Then he nodded and got up to go to the bathroom.

 

Harry sat in Kingsley's office. After withstanding the brunt of his glare he'd gotten the man to listen to his theory and the withering look the man had given him did nothing to quell his urge for Kingsley to do something. Kingsley sat with him after dismissing his secretary for lunch and steepled his fingers. "Harry, we needed this, thank you. We kept thinking that we were missing something but couldn't figure out what." He continued reading through the report and suddenly Harry remembered something he'd told himself he would try and find out about.

"Sir?"

"Hmm," Kingsley said, still reading.

Harry thought of a good way to ask. "About Draco's lesson plans on Dark Magic." The man behind the desk froze somewhat and looked up at him slowly.

"What about them?" He eyed the brunet carefully. "I never thought you'd be against people needing to defend themselves. As a practical master of DADA, I'd think you'd recognise the need to understand how a spell works in order to defend against it."

Harry shook his head. "It's not that, I get  _that_  part. I just – I wanted to know how he convinced  _you_  of that," he said careful not to put any kind of accusation in the words. The noticeable change in Kingsley's demeanour had Harry watching him carefully but trying hard not to let  _him_  know that. One thing for sure, Kingsley was doing an awful lot of squirming.

"Why do you want to know about that?" Kingsley looked almost afraid. "Did he tell you? He told me he wouldn't tell anyone."

"No, he didn't tell me anything," Harry was quick to answer. The relaxation in Kingsley's frame was evident. "I just wondered at your decision."

Kingsley squirmed again. "Well, he was very convincing with his argument. Though it did take me a long time to come to a decision." Harry wasn't sure but he swore he heard a slight stress on the word 'come'. That might also be because his attention peaked at the word, he wasn't sure.

Very suddenly, Kingsley got up, file in hand. He coughed and straightened his clothes and Harry followed him to the cubicles outside. Kingsley looked around for a capable Auror and chose, naturally, one of those fresh out of training. "You!" he called having not learned their names yet. Several people turned around but the young woman he was calling turned around to him and pointed to herself after looking around. When Kingsley nodded she walked up to him and waited. "I want you to get together with the other Aurors working on this and see if you can find this man, Bertelsmann and bring him in. I'd like a word."

The young woman nodded and hurried off. Harry watched her go as Kingsley turned to him and watched him. "Why are you still here?" Harry smiled and shook his head. As he turned to leave for the atrium, however, a loud screeching alarm went off. Both he and Kingsley looked up and around for the source of it. Hermione walked up to them from the elevator having been on her way to her department upstairs.

"The suspect is here."

Harry's face grew solemn and he took out his wand. Kinsley noticed and shook his head. "The person we are looking out for is at your home, Potter, go back there and do your job."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "I'm on vacation."

Kingsley cocked an eyebrow. "Then go home.  _We_  don't need you here." Harry continued to stare him down but acquiesced and nodded, seeing the sense behind the man's words. He walked down the stairs to the Atrium and Apparated home. When he saw the note on the table, he swore colourfully and Apparated right back into the Atrium to see Kingsley talking to the secretary. He called him and both he and Hermione spun around at the urgency in his tone.

Kingsley rolled his eyes and turned away. "Potter I told you-"

"He's not there."

That made the man pause. "Say again?" Kingsley looked very angry. "Where the hell is he then?"

 

Draco entered his apartment expecting to find it in exactly the same condition as it had been in before. When he saw the sparsely decorated room, he made note to file a report as soon as possible. Some of the pieces he'd had were from the fourteenth century. To not be properly compensated was... unspeakable. He'd checked everywhere, even the bathroom, becoming increasingly agitated when he saw the lack of propriety in his well-being and was on his way to see his classroom when a door appeared at the end of the small corridor that led to his bathroom and bedroom.

Curious, he'd approached the door but, as he was about to put his hand on the knob, he drew it away. There was a maniac after him, after all. These times screamed for caution, especially when a door that was not there before appeared from thin air.

It was the prickle on the back of his neck that did it, that had him moving quickly to the side and erecting a  _Protego_  sooner than he could breathe in. Shooting back a stunner in retaliation, he was not surprised when Henry Bertelsmann dodged it completely, the spell shooting past him and into the living room smashing a vase.

_Right, hands on it is then_

"Well, well, Trainer Malfoy." Henry leaned against the wall in a constructor's robe, the uniform used by the construction staff. Draco's eyes narrowed.

"That's how you got in." When Bertelsmann cocked his head to the side and frowned in confusion, Draco took the chance and hit the man in the gut. Bertelsmann doubled over and Draco edged around him as the man continued coughing heavily. However, the man came at Draco shouldering into his stomach and pushed Draco over. Draco rolled them getting on top and felt around on the table next to them for something – anything hard. Hs hand came into contact with an ashtray. He did a double take at it, wondering who in their right minds put such a tacky accessory in his living room of all places (he didn't even smoke for merlin's sake. That report was getting longer and longer), before slamming it into Bertelsmann's face.

The crack from his nose registered and Henry groaned in pain before using his hands to punch Draco in his stomach, using the leverage he got as Draco fell back to drag the blond by his hair to the door at the back of the apartment. Opening it, he threw him in and shut the door behind him ignoring the alarm that had started to sound blaringly as his feet set foot into Trainer Malfoy's classroom.

 

Kingsley rolled his eyes. He knew better than to believe Harry would sit and wait for anything if he told him to stay behind. He turned to Hermione and she nodded. "I'll check the Warder while I'm at it, shall I?" she asked and Kingsley nodded at her.

"Warder?" Harry said frowning.

"It's a device I developed with a few of the Unspeakables. It monitors the entire building's wards and displays it on a map reminiscent of your father's map of Hogwarts. If the suspect got in, it can pinpoint the signature and show you where they are in the building." She nodded to Kingsley and hurried off in the direction of the stairs.

When Harry commented on her use of the stairs taking too long, Kingsley explained. "I had the lifts emptied and shut down. I don't want anyone moving around right now." They, too, made their way to the stairs but stopped when a timid voice called to them. They turned to see Kingsley's secretary looking at them both worriedly. "You can go home, Abby," he said over the loud noise of the alarm still echoing in the atrium, "I'll let security allow you out."

She shook her head. "No, Sir, I have some information for you." She looked over at the secretary on the other side of the desk angrily who looked down at her desk. "Trainer Malfoy passed through here." The two Aurors turned fully to her and walked back to the desk. "He wanted to see his classes, he said. I made a joke with him and told him not to worry about being exiled for too long because the apartments were almost finished. He said he'd go there too to see how they looked and if he could put in any requests with the Constructors." Harry rolled his eyes at this.

"When was this?"

She looked up at the clock. "About ten minutes ago, Sir." The two of them sped off. "Wait! Auror Kingsley, wait!" They turned again. "It may not be of any worth but a man was here two weeks ago just after the explosion. He told Bella he lived in the apartments and wanted to know if they'd been repaired yet. Bella told him no," she said turning to the young girl who was looking very upset. "She's new, and doesn't know everyone yet. She told him –" Abby sighed as if what she were about to say pained her greatly. "She told him he could go take a look if he wanted because the wards hadn't been up yet." She took a deep breath. "I also heard some of the Constructors that were employed in the cafeteria at lunch. I remember because I found it odd that they all fit around a table without stealing chair from another one like they usually do."

"Seven," Harry said to himself and looked down at his wand. He knew he had counted correctly.

She looked at him curiously. "Yes." She turned back to Kingsley. "But the wards still aren't up. If you wanted to, you could Apparate there from outside the building. One of them said he had their colleague test it. Um," she closed her eyes trying to remember his name. "Frank... Bertelsmann, I think. It was on his badge," she hurried to say at their looks, "I'm not sure if I read it right. I just – I knew you'd be interested because of Trainer Malfoy's security."

Harry looked down to the ground in thought. The Trainers' Apartments were the only part of the Ministry with no wards at the moment. He couldn't believe it. Harry knew it would need specialisations, including personal wards. He knew all about them since he'd had to put wards on his own home. But seriously, to have none at all? He shook his head in wonder. Kingsley watched his young secretary in a new light. "Remind me to give you a raise." The young woman smiled and, without interruption, the two Aurors ran toward the stairs once more. They raced down the Ministry stairwell until they came to the new addition to the Ministry: the seventeenth floor, located to the left of the step that stood between floors sixteen and eighteen. The oaks doors stood static and open. Harry disregarded it and ran through them, looking for Draco's number and barged in. Nothing. The room was sparsely decorated, everything that previously occupied it being beyond reparable. There were things thrown and knocked over though. The light that shone through the corridor is what drew Harry's attention though. He could hear someone grunt as if taking a hit and he ran through the furniture to the door and stopped. It hadn't been there before.

"It's a new feature, goes straight from a Trainer's apartment to their classroom."

"And does it have wards?"

Kingsley shrugged. "Well, the Trainer Apartments don't, but apparently the classrooms still do considering the alarm must have gone off the second he stepped foot in the room." Harry shook his head and hurried through the connection, Kingsley close behind him.

What they saw on the other side, however, made them both pause.

 

Draco swung around and raised his leg to deliver a swift and thorough kick at Bertelsmann's chest. The man grunted and fell back. As he did, Draco felt at the cut the bastard had just given his lip. "I wasn't your fucking examiner was I!" He pushed back the hair from his face showing an expression that portrayed just how stupid he thought Bertelsmann was. "You bloody well think they'll let Trainers, not even Aurors, examine you and decide if you're worth it? Merciful Morgana you're stupid, no wonder they fucking cut you!" He huffed and surveyed the young man on the floor coughing.

Draco hummed. "You never did handle too well against me in physical combat, did you? But you wanted to so badly," he smiled, "I could see it. You were much better with magical combat. I suppose your knowledge on it got you into here, didn't it?" He looked up and down at the man in his Constructor robes. "You're number seven." He laughed. "Six people worked on the Labs but I saw seven of you eating. I knew it as you. I saw you once at lunch in the cafeteria. It's why your name stood out on the page of suspects." He shook his head reprimanding himself. "I didn't think too much of it." He shrugged and held up his hands in surrender. "I figured - hey, you got yourself another job, good for you even if you are crazy. But my Laboratory was already redone so I had nothing to worry about. Silly me, huh? I bet you were using it to get to my rooms. You really were good with spells. Puts us purebloods to shame." He watched the man in thought.

Bertelsmann's eyes narrowed. He got up quickly wincing at the pain in his chest and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth where his lip had cut on his teeth. Draco was shaking out his hand, his knuckles bruised and Henry hated him for it. It was true he'd never been able to really beat his Trainer in physical combat. He nodded. "The Minister had to give the Constructors the key for the lifts and all the hidden floors so that it could be fixed. I had planned so hard with that potion. I even made sure to break into your office so that all the wards would be strengthened enough to withstand the blast. It was stronger than I thought, though," he said feigning remorse, "and sent the whole floor to the hospital." Draco could hear the pride in his voice. Bertelsmann sneered. "I only wanted to kill you. I lost hope after the Potions debacle but when that key was put in my hand," he said pointing to his palm, "by the Minister himself," he smiled, "oh, I started planning again right away. You'd already survived one explosion with a Protego," he said as if it were a dirty word. "So I made sure I had a backup plan this time." He sneered. "I didn't know they'd assign the Saviour to you, didn't know you were that important. You disappeared from the radar there for a while. Couldn't get to you when you were in his home." He hated that fact too. Potter's residence – he couldn't even track it, let alone find a way in. "You should have stayed there. Bet you were lounging around like you deserved to be there. Where is he now, eh?"

Draco looked behind him when he saw Harry trying to move forward again. Kingsley seemed to have a tight grip on his shoulder though. "He's right behind you," Draco said and then threw a spell at him, hoping the distraction could help him land it. As predicted, Bertelsmann turned and Draco saw both Kingsley and Harry freeze at the state of the man compared to him. But, like Draco feared, Bertelsmann was very sensitive to magic and blocked the spell when it got too close. Well, damn.

Bertelsmann laughed. "You actually thought you could beat me with that? You taught us how to deflect Dark Magic remember? I can see your aura change when you do."

Draco cocked an eyebrow. "Would you rather I go back to beating you senseless? I miss that. You talk less."

Bertelsmann's eyes narrowed again and he sent one of his own spells at the blond. Draco detected the subtle introduction of pale yellow and the angle the red lines had taken in his aura around the man and knew exactly what was coming his way. He began chanting the counter-curse immediately. If he didn't, he wouldn't survive it. When the bright orange of it surged through the man's wand and came toward him, Draco almost didn't make it but the shield held in time and he pushed it back toward the git, the one who'd destroyed everything he'd worked for because he didn't have the bloody sense to research who cut him out of the programme. As soon as the curse left him, he began moving toward the bastard, and once he deflected is own curse as easily as he'd made it, Draco delivered another swift kick at his chest and sent him careening into the wall behind him instead of on the floor. Bertelsmann's head cracked against the concrete but Draco didn't feel any remorse for it.

His cry of pain echoed in the large empty room, and when he got back up he had to shake off the dizziness. Draco stepped back and began shooting spells from his wand, wordlessly, but only one of them hit the man. The stun hit his left arm, his weak arm, but the pain seemed to awaken Bertelsmann and he began blocking and deflecting as easily as he did when he was in class training for his certificate.

"Will you stop? You know I can do this all day," Bertelsmann teased. "You trained me to recognise your aura. I know what you're going to do," he said becoming bored with the proceedings.

Draco stopped. His eyes narrowed and, from his vantage point, Harry could see the blond smirk. Harry recognised it. He'd seen it often enough in school when Draco beat Hermione at answering a question. During N.E. when he'd come across an easy question that Harry was sure he would never figure out. In their Auror Training when Potions was announced as one of the classes they'd be covering. The one time they'd had sex and Draco discovered a sensitive area on Harry's body that it made him quiver.

He had an advantage.

The smirk turned into a grin. "True. That's true. Except I didn't teach you how to keep your aura static did I?" He cocked his head to the side.

Before Bertelsmann could even ask, 'What?' Draco dropped his wand and drew his arms back. The air bent around him and, as his hands moved forward, a spark ignited in his palms and a twin set of lights emerged from them, bright berry red and pointedly aimed straight at him.

The curse hit him square in the chest. Bertelsmann flew back and hit the wall, cracking and denting it as he landed.

The man couldn't breathe. He was nearly incoherent as he fell to his knees. Three occupants of the room looked to Draco. The blond had doubled over and was breathing heavily. "How – how did you-"

Harry came forward, finally breaking free of the tight grip Kingsley had on his shoulder and disregarded the pointed whisper that stated Draco could take care of himself. He helped Draco to stand and let the blond lean on him. Draco panted and stood up trying hard to control his breathing. He glared at Bertelsmann blaming him for the condition he was in. "Not every wizard needs a wand, idiot. If you hadn't been crazy you would have learnt that in my class." He let Harry lead him out, nodding to Kingsley when he said he'd take care of the young man that had suddenly passed out on the ground.

 

"The bonfire was lit about an hour ago, according to Fred it's roaring and really high this year." Harry set the suitcase Draco had transfigured from the bag he'd leant him down on the Trainer's brand new bed. They'd broken it in the day before, as well as the writing desk and the wall by the superficial window overlooking Muggle London. "Besides, Martha is leaving and Kingsley said the Minister has allowed us to join the Beltane bonfire celebration with her leaving do." Martha Graham was the mother of every Auror in the department. As a member of the kitchen staff, she fed them excellent food day after day and they all adored her for it. Fred especially loved her because she always made his sandwiches and, apparently, was the reason any of the multitude of ingredients stayed in his sandwiches to begin with.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Alright fine, I'll go. But only for Martha." She was the only reason he ever went to the cafeteria anyway.

Harry grinned.

The courtyard looked beautiful and the cheer and laughter from the Ministry employees echoed around them all. Martha was rosy-cheeked enjoying all the congratulations on her retirement at the grand age of a hundred and one. Draco laughed with her when she declared she still had some fight left in her. Never underestimate a pensioner. You could hear the Aurors surrounding her laugh from inside the building.

Harry looked over. He wasn't familiar with Martha as he didn't frequent the cafeteria often but he could tell that the people in his department really loved the witch who was leaving them. He took another swig from his ale and looked around at the people who had suddenly burst out into song as a group of young women danced around the maypole. He frowned suddenly when he saw Draco taken aside by a young Auror he hadn't recognised before. He frowned even more when he saw Draco smile at him and nod while touching his arm. The young man nodded back and walked off toward the courtyard exit to go back into the building. Harry drank some more, his throat suddenly going dry.

"Harry, mate!" Harry turned suddenly at the call and saw Ron coming toward him, drink in hand. "Happy Beltane, shame about Martha though." Harry just nodded. He really wished he'd known the woman now, but he wished Ron a Happy Beltane anyway. When Hermione came toward them they all joined in, singing a little louder due to the amount of ale he'd downed so far. Hermione rolled her eyes at him but they all grinned anyway because it didn't matter, they had the day off tomorrow anyway. Hermione frowned at Harry when she noticed he was more than a little tipsy. Harry grinned at her shaking his head to tell her to stop worrying. It was pointless, of course. Telling Hermione to stop worrying was like asking the moon to turn into a disco ball. Harry's grin died, however, when he looked back over and one again saw Draco talking to the same young man who'd vacated earlier. He frowned once more.

"Be right back." He walked over just as the young man disappeared one more time leaving Draco smiling. "What are you doing?" Draco turned to him and grinned as another verse from the song 'Goodbye Ostara' began. He raised his glass at Harry grinning.

"Harry, hey! Thanks for bringing me down, the company's great!"

 _I'll bet,_  Harry thought to himself recognising the slur even in his mind that reminded him that maybe he'd had a little too much to drink. "I want to leave now," Harry said looking in the direction that the young twit went. "Will you come with me?"

Draco put his hand on his forehead. "You've been drinking, huh? Don't you feel well?" he said compassionately.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "No, I just want to go." Draco took note of his tone and frowned.

"Well, I don't. You can go on ahead. I'll catch up with you later." Harry didn't move. Draco cocked an eyebrow at him. "You were the one to force me down here in the first place. I'm here and I want to stay. What is your problem?" His eyes turned flinty in warning.

Harry should have heeded it. "I'm not the one with the problem. I'm not the one allowing other strangers to come onto me when my lover is standing not five feet away."

Draco looked incredulous. "Who are..." His forehead smoothened in understanding and that alone had Harry fuming. "You mean Craig? He's my bloody  _student_  Potter, his assignment is due Monday and he was asking me for an extension."

Harry didn't care and his tipsy mind definitely didn't give two squirts of piss. "What a method to use," he said sardonically.

Draco's eyes narrowed at him dangerously. "How dare you? As if I would use sex as an excuse to give him an extension. Merlin, you have issues. And you're beginning to draw attention to us." It was true, the song had ended but the tune was still playing from the band on the grass to the side of the courtyard and some people had begun to look over at them.

"Yeah?" Harry continued not noticing Kingsley's call for the music to be turned off so he could wish Martha a pleasant retirement. "I'm not the one who had to suck the Head of Department's cock to get a lesson plan approved," he said angrily. Draco watched him as if he were crazy. Then he seemed to remember the joke he had made a few weeks back and he laughed because he couldn't believe Harry had actually fallen for it. His last reaction was to look around the courtyard and realise his Head of Department was watching them, as well as Fred, because Harry had said it a little too loud. At least Fred was glaring at Harry for even suggesting it. He knew he could always count on him. Their other co-workers, however, were looking at him and the only thing that stood out on most of their faces was disbelief. The rest didn't look as if they were sure. The courtyard was silent, only the crackle from the flames and coughs drawn from discomfort were heard. Draco looked at them and couldn't help the blush from the accusations there.

"It finally happened." He looked at Harry and felt the anger in him take over.  _It finally happened_. He closed his eyes to block it out but when he heard Harry's stuttering apology it broke him and he punched him square in the jaw, hoping to Merlin he'd broken it before storming out. Harry made to go after him but was stopped by a hand on his arm.

The bright blue eyes that were so much like Ron's glared at him. " _You_  will stay  _here_. Going near him right now is out of the question." Fred shoved him aside and ran after the blond following the path still present between the body of people after Draco's departure.

Harry turned to see his co-workers now staring at him and the stormy face of his Head of Department glaring at him. That alone was more sobering than any sobriety charm.

"My office, Potter.  _Now_."

 

"This could be the single _most_  idiotic thing that you have ever done. Ever." That coming from Fred told him something. Kingsley hadn't yet recovered from his anger over the entire situation and had remained at the 'Beltane bonfire/Martha's Retirement and Farewell to the Continent' party in the courtyard. Needless to say, no one would ever forget her, or rather, the party. Harry had been sulking in Kingsley's office, knowing he'd be thrown out of there as soon as he breathed incorrectly. Shortly after, Fred had stormed in, looking for the world like the Avenging Angel of Hell (fiery hair included) and begun yelling at him with words Molly would say no  _Soapallicius_  could  _ever_  wash clean. When he'd finished his rant, he was red in the face and glaring at him.

Harry squirmed in his seat. "Well, it's not the best out of them," he said and then shut up completely. Fred had a temper as bad as Ron's when he was ready. Harry hadn't ever seen him express anger until Draco came about. It had its good times and bad, he supposed.

Fred, momentarily side-tracked, said, "What?" His expression settled between angry and incredulous.

Harry chanced a glance up at him. "I'm just saying, I've done a lot of stupid things. To say it was the  _most_ -"

Fred scoffed. "People aren't usually proud of that Harry," Fred said and sat down, seeming to finally run out of steam. "What the hell possessed you to say that?"

Harry, honestly, didn't know. "Where is he?"

A grave face that Harry had never seen before on any of the Weasley family except Ron made him silent. "No. You answer  _my_  questions first. What the  _fuck_  were you thinking? You know better than to believe idle gossip,  _especially_  when it comes to him. And judging from what you both have going on between you-"

Harry's head snapped up and he looked at Fred in disbelief. "You know about it?"

Fred looked at him as if he was crazy. "The man has hands, Harry, he  _can_  write to me." He shook his head and leaned his head back. "I wasn't so sure it was a good idea, what with your history and all." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm protective of him, I think you've realised." Harry looked up at him and nodded. "Do you know why?" Harry shook his head. Fred dragged the other chair from the room and brought it around to face Harry.

He sat for a long time.

Finally, Fred began to speak softly and raised those blue eyes to him. They were filled with distrust, and Harry truly wished they weren't, but he stayed quiet and Fred kept on talking. "I am going to tell you something that I haven't even told my own family. I'll ask you not to repeat it." When Harry nodded, he acknowledged the acceptance and sat quiet for a few moments more.

He opened his mouth, taking in a breath as if he were about to speak and then shut it as if the words he'd chosen were not appropriate to begin his story. He did this twice more before he settled. "I think about my brother...  _every day_  but there was a time when I couldn't get him off my mind enough to continue on with my life. I – I felt as if, if I forgot about him, even for a  _second_ , then I would be desecrating his memory somehow." Fred leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "He and I were one once, practically unrecognisable when we were together. When he was gone, I didn't know what to do – who to be..." Fred looked down. "And then Draco kept coming to me. He told me he could help me," he laughed shaking his head as if the thought of helping him in that state was as ridiculous now as it was all those years ago. "But if I hadn't said yes then I wouldn't be where I am today and I wouldn't have gotten my last year of training with him as my teacher." He smiled. Harry smiled too, he only wished he could do a tenth of what those students could.

"What did he do?" Harry said softly, almost afraid to ask.

Fred was silent for a while. "He used  _Polyjuice_."

.

_The door shut behind him quickly and he swung around to yell through the door. If he heard their lectures one more time he'd hex them straight to hell. He drew up short, his breath exhaling air instead of sound when he saw a blond man in his room. "Malfoy, what the hell?" He looked at Draco incredulously as the blond stood in his brother's clothes. A phial was in one hand, his brother's hair brush in another. Draco had let his hair out and combed it with a part in the centre instead of at the side, like he usually had it._

_"You're angry." It was all Draco said before taking out his wand and locking the door. Once sure the door was sealed, mainly because Fred had made a dash for it and continued yanking on it even now, he took out two of the hairs from the brush and dunked them into the phial. He corked it back and shook it, watching to see what colour it would turn._ Blue, huh.

_Fred let go of the door and stormed over to him. He'd been doing a lot of storming lately, even his mother had stopped talking to him. All he did these days was yell. "Fuck, yes, I'm angry, let me out!" The man had to be stalking him. Always telling him he knew how he felt, that he could help him. He didn't want any help, why couldn't anyone see that? He just wanted to be left alone._

_All Draco did, was down the contents of the phial. "You're not angry at me, though you should be." The last of his words came out strained as the potion was taking effect. "You're not even angry at your family." Draco held up the phial and ignored Fred's scoff as he moved away. Draco picked up his wand and aimed a spell at his throat. "I know how it feels, and it's okay, Fred."_

_Fred froze at the sound of George's voice. He'd honestly believed he would never hear that voice again. It stirred something in his blood. His breath came in harsh pants and he held on tightly to the table in front of him seeing his knuckles turn white in the grip. He shut his eyes and then squeezed them tighter hoping he was just imagining things. "It's okay to hate me." There was a pause. "It is."_

_Fred shut his eyes tighter. It was too easy to give in. Too easy._

_But the stirring in his veins was getting hotter and a blind rage was building in his stomach that he could not ignore. Softly, "How dare you." He turned, livid, and glared at the man before him. "How dare you," he said again ignoring the soft_ 'It's okay' _and charged at him holding him at the throat as he hit him. He'd make him pay. He'd make him pay for what he'd done. "How dare you_ leave _me!" he yelled and hit him again. "Why did you leave me? I hate you!" Seeing the blood flow was glorious and he did it again in his stomach wiping the angry tears from his own face because he couldn't see what he was doing – who he was hitting – anymore. "I_ hate _you!" he cried._

_It was only as he realised he was spending more time wiping than hitting that he stopped and just continued crying, something he hadn't done since he'd cried over his brother's body on the grounds of Hogwarts. "I hate you," he said softer, the fight draining out of him. Nothing else came out then, except for the tears. When he felt the hands coming up around his shoulders he cried even harder. He never thought he could feel that again._

_"It's okay, Fred." Even though he shook his head – it would never be okay – he held on tightly never asking why, after the hour had passed, George was still sitting with him holding him as if he'd never leave._

_._

"I sat there forever not wanting him to go. I can't tell you how many times I asked him to do that. The hours reduced sometimes until I didn't need to talk to him as much anymore. I knew it was Draco but, the idea of having George there with me, if only for a little while." He thought of the right word to use. "The feeling is indescribable. After a couple of months, I would only see him every other week as if he was a friend I hadn't seen in ages but was losing touch with. Only this time it was okay because saying goodbye was on  _my_ terms." Fred looked up at Harry. "Draco has done a lot for me. He's a great friend, a real one, and I don't want him hurt." His eyes narrowed. "But you have and I don't think that I will be able to forgive you for that, even if he is. I told him to be careful, like I always do," he added laughing softly. "He said he would be." He let his head fall back once more. "Despite how careful he is, when he actually wrote my name as Fred, instead of  _Frederick_  I thought there may be something good between you after all." He shut his eyes. "Now, I don't know what to think."

Neither did Harry, except for the word  _Sorry_.

 

Minutes later, Kingsley walked into his office not at all surprised to see Fred sitting on the couch in the corner, and walked to his seat. Once there he glared at Harry menacingly. "You've cost me a very valuable agent, Potter."

Harry sat forward. "Where is he?" he asked worriedly.

"A few weeks ago he was offered a position as a Trainer in Spain." Harry's heart skipped and his stomach dropped hearing that. Suddenly he remembered seeing the letter outside of Draco's apartment all those weeks ago with the red coat of arms. He'd wondered what Malfoy had to do with the Spanish Ministry of Magic. "They'd heard of his methods and the high success rate. He told me about it and I convinced him to stay. As I walked here, finally calm enough to face you without killing you, he came to me and told me he'd be taking it after all." He sat forward. "Do you know why?" Harry nodded shamefaced and looked down at the ground. "No. I don't think you do."

Fred stood understanding what Kingsley was saying. "Harry, Draco's not upset at what you said. He couldn't give a shit whether or not you can take a joke, so stop being so self-centred. It's that you _announced_  it in front of all the people he's been trying so hard to convince he's worth something." He crossed his arms over his chest.

Kingsley leaned forward at his desk and linked his fingers together. "On his way to me, he was called a few choice names that set him over the edge. Needless to say we turned a few heads in the corridor talking. Only time will tell how long it takes to make it to his students. He's decided to cut his losses while he can." Harry remembered one of the students had already been there. If he'd heard it, then the students would know by morning.

Harry sat back in shock. "He's being transferred to Spain. He doesn't even speak-"

"He speaks fluent French, Spanish, German and Italian, Harry," Fred said, staring at him reproachfully. "I take it you both don't do a lot of  _talking_."

Harry blushed and let his head fall into his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. "Oh God." He winced a little at the pain in his jaw.

Kingsley nodded once choosing to ignore Fred's comment and leaned back in his own high back seat. "Yes, he resigned on me, told me and the Department to go to hell and walked out hexing two secretaries on his way." There was more intimidating staring. "You've cost me an excellent teacher, Harry. Perhaps even a few secretaries. I hope you can repay me." The Head of the Auror Division sighed. "Harry, what on Earth were you thinking?"

Harry spluttered. "He told me he did it. I asked him how he got you to say yes to teach them dark curses and he said that was what he did. He said he refused to let you come until you said yes."

Both Fred and Kingsley rolled their eyes. "And you  _took him seriously_?" Fred said, honestly not believing he was hearing this. "Merlin, he told me the same thing but we busted out laughing afterward!" Fred rolled his eyes when Harry looked down. "Oh, you complete idiot."

Harry squirmed. "He was very convincing."

Kingsley cocked an eyebrow. "And you didn't bother to ask me?" His cool demeanour told Harry to tread carefully.

Harry sat forward, desperate. "I did! And you said it took you a long time to come to a decision. You were squirming around a lot."

Kingsley huffed, remembering that 'talk', now understanding they were in fact having two separate conversations then. "You asked me about how I approved his lesson plans, Harry, not whether or not I made him-" Kingsley's temper flared and he shut his eyes and turned away from Harry for a second. When he calmed down Kingsley turned back to him. "As to the squirming, it was because the process of me saying 'Yes' came from him using a dark curse _on_  me." when he was satisfied with the pale colour Harry had turned, he continued. "He refused to turn me back until I had heard him out. He said if I'd known the properties of the curse, I would have recognised the way his aura changed and been able to deflect it easily.  _That_  is what he has been teaching his students, how to recognise the properties of a curse and how to deflect it, most of the time wordlessly. Even  _Moody_  attends his classes, and he hated him when he first came to work here. It took me so long to tell him yes because he taught me how to reverse it  _while_ I was still cursed. It took me five hours." He frowned. "It was very uncomfortable, but it made me work toward changing myself back. I admitted to myself then that he was an excellent Trainer."

Harry closed his eyes in mortification. "Let me guess, you said 'Yes' over and over and over."

Kingsley's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Of course I did! You didn't see what he turned me into. I even hugged him." Fred's eyes widened in surprise. Kingsley ignored him. He coughed and withdrew a scrap of parchment from his drawer. "He has gone to stay with his mother in France. I am giving you the address because I want you to fix this." He snatched the parchment away as Harry came forward to take it and glared. " _FIX_  only, do you understand me?" Harry nodded and took the paper from his hand. He rushed out.

Fred sat down watching Kingsley curiously. When Kingsley noticed he looked over and frowned. "What was it?" Fred asked curious and a little proud of his friend. "What did he turn you into?"

Kingsley squirmed. "I don't want to talk about it."

 

Despite public belief, not every Gryffindor is constantly brave. It took Harry two days to get up the courage to go to Narcissa Malfoy's Chateau in France because he was scared to confront her son. He didn't waste his two days though. Oh no, Harry (being half Slytherin) knew that in order to really say sorry to any fellow snake you'd have to put your neck on the line to prove it. Slytherins need proof of loyalty, not platitudes and promises.

They also take a while to even listen to your platitudes and promises, as shown when the door to the Chateau, which was actually a luxury apartment on the top floor of a high scale apartment complex, opened by Draco himself, slammed into his face echoing ominously in the hall. But Harry didn't give up (proof of his Gryffindor half); he knew Draco was still on the other side because he heard the rustle of his shirt slide on the door.

"I'm sorry," he said through it.

The muffled scoff he heard – he figured he deserved it. " _I couldn't give a shit if you're sorry. God, I told you, I_ _ **told**_ _you that I was waiting for it, didn't I? I knew it would come one day, I just didn't think it would be so soon or that you'd be the one to send me packing_."

Harry breathed steeling himself. "No one is sending you packing but yourself."

There was a rustling sound and when the door swung open, Harry jumped back in case the blond was going to hit him. He was angry enough to. "That is a  _lie_!" Draco glared at him and his eyes were suspiciously glassy when they narrowed at him in accusation. "You didn't see their faces, drunk as you were you complete arsehole. No one looks at you like that, like they couldn't believe I fooled them for so long. It was mortifying, Potter. I'm surprised I lasted that long if that's what they've all been thinking."

Harry didn't know what to say. He only knew he had to convince him to come back. "You have to come back." It was a safe enough place to start.

Draco moved away from him as if he disgusted him. "The fuck I do."

Harry put up his hands in surrender. "No, I'm serious. No one remembers it anymore. The trainer for the Obliviators? Kingsley had him sit with the both of us and I had to apologise for what I said to every member of staff. Then he cast  _Obliviate_  and I had to apologise again for my drunken escapade."

The look of anger abated and was replaced by confusion. "What drunken escapade?"

Harry blushed red. "The one he implanted of me dancing on the high table at Beltane."

Draco's eyes narrowed but Harry could see from the glint in them that he was getting through to him. If the slight curl of his mouth was anything to go by. "What kind of dancing?" Draco said casually, a little  _too_ casually. Harry could tell he was trying to maintain his angry facade.

 _Of course that mattered. Every Slytherin knows it's not that you embarrass yourself, but how you do it._  "The Macarena."

Even in the Wizarding World that phenomenon had spread, from the Muggles in the schools doing it at school dances and the moves being so easy to replicate. It was just as embarrassing though. "Oh my God," Draco said bursting out laughing.

Harry winced at just how much Draco was enjoying this but it was necessary. "I know, but it had to be bad to make up for it. It was my idea," he made sure to insert.

Draco calmed himself. "Do my students know?" Because Fred had told him, Harry knew this was the most important part of why Draco left. Those students that he'd worked so hard to convince them he was a good teacher that deserved the respect he asked for.

Not all of the students had known but Harry made sure to take his apology to the extreme, it was the only way. "No, but I apologised to them too. They've been mocking me ever since." He rolled his eyes. He'd seen a few them re-enacting the episode as if they were there and just  _had_  to share the event with a friend. Even though it never happened, Harry still felt embarrassed and angry at them. Then he realised. It was exactly how Draco would have felt if he'd stayed. "Of course, they knew what the Obliviator was trying to do, what with those amazing psychic powers you gave them. We had to ask Moody to teach them how to 'Staticise the Aura' so that they couldn't predict what spell the Obliviator was trying. He did it in a few hours actually, your methods are astounding."

Draco cocked an eyebrow at him and crossed his arms over his chest. "Good."

Harry nodded and dropped his head to look at the ground. "I know. I really am sorry."

Draco cocked his eyebrow, but those grey eyes had warmed considerably since he'd arrived, so there was hope. "You said that already."

"I'm emphasising to prove my point."

"I don't think you need to do that anymore," Draco said still trying to hold back his mirth.

Harry nodded and looked down to the expensive carpeting in the hallway. "Are you still going to Spain?"

Draco frowned. "How did you-?" He nodded anyway figuring either Kingsley or Frederick had a hand in this. "I accepted the job."

Harry just focused on breathing. "Turn it down."

Draco laughed again. "Why?"

Harry didn't think his face could get any redder. "I'm in love with you."

The shock that registered on Draco's face was cleared quickly. "And that's supposed to change my mind is it? Your love won't pay my bills, Potter." He leaned against the doorframe with his arms still crossed.

Harry leaned a hand against the same door frame. "You'll never want for anything."

Draco's eyes narrowed. "Except my job."

"Then have it." Draco looked down to where the carpet in the hallway met the plush carpeting in his mother's apartment; he played in the soft threads with his toes. Looking up at Harry through his fringe, he wondered before he looked back down again. Harry waited for an answer and came to attention when Draco sighed as if he had the woes of the world on his shoulders.

Draco opened the door a little more so that Harry could see inside. Draco turned to the massacred meal that was supposed to be his dinner. He turned back to Harry smirking. "And gourmet meals with really long unpronounceable names?"

Harry smiled, the relief lifting the weight from the pit of his stomach. "You can have that too."

Draco watched him carefully. "And flowers, everyday."

A nod. "Done. Though you'd get sick of it."

Those grey eyes narrowed again. " _Everyday_ , Potter."

"Fine, everyday," he said raising his hands in surrender. "Anything else?"

"I withhold the right to add to this list at my whim," Draco said affronted.

Harry nodded. "Okay," he agreed readily.

Draco stared at him on the other side of his door for a while before he finally took hold of his robes and dragged him into the kiss that Harry willingly followed him into. Harry's mouth parted with ease as Draco begged entrance and his tongue invaded, exploring and teasing him.

"Oh," Draco interrupted, "and a new wardrobe. Most of my clothes have been burned."

Harry's shoulders fell. "A  _whole_  wardrobe?" He'd seen the blond's previous wardrobe, the man could shop.

Draco stepped back. "What? You're seven times richer than you were in school." Of all the things to remember, of  _course_  he'd remember that. "Besides, I won't want for anything, right?" He walked away to the kitchen. "Come on, I'm hungry."

Harry just rolled his eyes, smiled and closed the door.

**~Fin~**


End file.
